


Envelopes

by ireallyshouldnt_behere



Series: These Girls Are Famous [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-19 22:58:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8227658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ireallyshouldnt_behere/pseuds/ireallyshouldnt_behere
Summary: Rey woke to the sound of her alarm, dripping in sweat and with her mind swirling around the memories of the pain and bruises she left behind 5 years ago. Today, though, she couldn't be bothered by her troubled past. Today, she was going to make something of herself.





	1. Chapter 1

_"Ben, I said I didn't want to right now, knock it off."_

 

_"Come on, Rey, you know how stressed I have been lately and it's the only way I feel better!"_

 

_"If you have to give me reasons to have sex with you when I've already said no, you're doing it wrong."_

 

_The resulting blow made Rey even more acquainted with the fist and wall she had come to know only so well._

 

Rey woke to the sound of her alarm, dripping in sweat and with her mind swirling around the memories of the pain and bruises she left behind 5 years ago. Today, though, she couldn't be bothered by her troubled past. Today, she was going to make something of herself. 

 

She was two weeks away from receiving her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from NYU, but Rey had always had a burning desire to be an actress. She never mentioned this to anyone, not even Finn, because she couldn't stand to see the mixture of pity and disbelief in people's eyes if she were to voice this desire. Although Finn would support her no matter what, Rey despised the idea of having to cry on his shoulder if she never made her dream come true. This is why she has spent the past five years creating a back-up plan with her degrees. If she didn't make it, she would still be proud of herself. 

 

This morning, though, was her chance. She had spent the last year and a half in New York researching different agents, agencies, and opportunities for auditions for a role that suited her. She was going into her audition today as a nobody.  A complete nobody with no agent and affiliated with no company. None of these facts stopped her, though, she was going to blow everyone's mind and she knew it. 

 

The role suited her, she thought: a ragged, orphaned girl who needed to seem weak but could handle herself. There was little description past that of what this girl needed to be like, but it called to Rey more than anything ever had, as she herself had been found on the doorstep of a fire station in Arizona at 5 years old with no memory of anything but dehydration, dirt, and the name 'Walker' written on her T shirt tag. The firefighter who found her was named Ray, so she wanted to be Ray too. She never saw him again, but always remembered his smile and calling her his 'little Rey of sunshine,' the same thing Finn would come to call her years later. 

 

The following 13 years had been the usual, repetitive stories of an abused foster kid, bouncing from house to house because she was too troubled to be worth anything. She was worth something, she had made it through that twisted system stronger than most. She was going to show everyone how wrong they all were. 

 

This being her first audition for anything, Rey had no idea what to expect with how she would be treated, but nothing swayed her. She figured they would be cold and wouldn't want to get to know her, and that was ok. She was used to that, and it only aided in reverting herself back to her old lifestyle. She was flawless, so she would say, and they excused her with a curt nod and a thank you. 

 

It was three days later, while she was elbow deep in her final thesis conclusion, that she got the call saying she got the part. Rey, who was a grown woman in her own right, squeaked like a mouse and dropped her phone. She did it, she actually did it. 

 

Rey was to go in the next day to start the paperwork and to meet her costars for the film, yet they wouldn't tell her who they all were. She didn't care at all, no matter if she would be with major stars or not. The thought of celebrities didn't impress her and she honestly never wanted to be famous, so meeting anyone big shouldn't be a problem. Or so she thought. 

 

Rey was first introduced to the last person she ever could have thought to work with - her impressively deep, nearly creepy, focus of her current girl crush - Jessika Pava. Rey was so completely, utterly fucked. She hadn't even know she liked women until she saw Jess Pava in her latest movie, black hair flowing like a starless night, enrapturing her with every passing second. Rey couldn't even remember what happened in that movie, so how was she supposed to work with Jess now?

 

Jess, who was now standing in front of her, having probably just said something since she was staring at Rey expectedly…curiously?

 

"Um, sorry, what?"

 

_Great first impression, Walker. You're a lady killer._

 

Jess just smiled, a wide, perfect, delicious smile. "I said I'm Jess, Jessika Pava, and you must be Rey."

 

God of course Rey know who she is, does she know who she is, how could Rey not know who she is? So Rey could only nod and stammer. 

 

"I'm Rey."  _Nailed it_. 

 

Jess had the decency to not laugh too hard, but it was definitely a struggle. Yet she was staring at Rey now with straight curiosity, and nodding. Why was she nodding?

 

"Alrighty then, come on Rey, you've got a lot of people to meet," Jess says. "This is going to be an exhausting day so just stick with me kid, it'll be alright."

 

*

 

Jessika Pava, 24, hasn't been alive long enough to be shown how to properly handle a situation like this. 'This situation' being her having to now work with the cutest fucking girl her well-kept-secretly-gay little heart could handle. All Jess was told was that she would be working alongside a completely new girl named Rey Walker. 

 

Jess had been stopped dead, mid conversation with her manager, Poe, when this girl just sauntered in with bright, surveying eyes; dressed casually in a red striped shirt, cute ass 90's overalls, and high tops. Luckily for Jess, the girl was looking around and couldn't see Jess's jaw drop. 

 

"Pava…Jess… _Jessika Pava!_ " Poe whispered in exasperation. The poor girl was damn near drooling, she needed help. 

 

Now that Poe had finally grabbed Jess's attention, he had to break the news to her. 

 

"Jess, you might want to close your mouth and go introduce yourself to your new costar."

 

Jess whipped her head back to Poe, and he could feel the ripple in air pressure from her maneuver. She's so, 5000% screwed. 

 

"My  _costar_?" Jess whined. Well shit, this is going to be fun. Better start calling her a Christmas tree with all the pining that's about to happen. 

 

Poe just shook his head,  _god bless this girl._

 

"Her name is Rey, she's almost 24, she's brand new to this business, and I have no clue if she likes girls so don't ask me if I do," Poe says, dry as her mouth currently feels. "Make her feel at home, though, you know how tough our world can be."

 

A new kid, huh? Alright, she could do this, this is going to be fine. 

 

Jess realizes how not fine this is as she stops in front of Rey and can now see the splatter of freckles across her nose and cheeks and how much she smells like sunshine and flowers. 

 

It's even worse when Rey proceeds to stammer and be as big of a dork as Jess is, which makes her feel at least 2% better about this situation. The question though is whether Rey is just nervous, if she's being a complete fan girl, or if maybe she's into Jess as much as Jess is into her. She could have sworn she saw a blush, but nothing is certain yet. For right now, she needs to keep everything as professional as she can. 

 

*

 

Rey was so completely overwhelmed by everything that had happened to her yesterday, that all she could really do this morning was cry shamelessly into her coffee and be happy. Better yet, her happiness and exhaustion from the previous day had lent a helping hand in giving her a night of sleep free from her recurring nightmares of Ben. The thought that maybe being around all of the people she met yesterday could push away the memories of him kept her humming all through her morning routine, and as she was walking out her door and locking it, she was grinning from ear to ear. 

 

The grin may be because she was meeting Jess for breakfast so they could get better acquainted for their roles, but only Rey needed to be let onto that secret. 

 

Jess was waiting at the little cafe already, tea and scone in hand, and with a coffee and lemon cake waiting for Rey. 

 

 _How does Jess know I basically worships lemon cake?_ Rey thinks _.  I'm going to die._

 

Jess waived Rey over as she saw her and flashed that megawatt smile she had grown accustomed to, being subjected to it all day yesterday. Oh who was she kidding, she could never grow accustomed to it. Her heart will stop every time she sees it, she's convinced. It's fine. 

 

After the usual pleasantries Rey, who is not much for preamble by any means, starts on Jess. 

 

"So, tell me everything about yourself that you're willing to admit to a complete stranger," Rey says, then sits back to wait for the girl's answer and sip her coffee. 

 

"Geez right into the thick of it, huh?" Jess muses. "Well, you know that my name is Jess, Jessika Pava, if you want to get technical. I turned 24 in August and I have a younger brother. I had the most basic, but best childhood I could imagine. I always wanted to be a performer so acting has always been my go-to profession. I could go on and on, really, so what about you?"

 

Well, Rey should have expected this. She didn't know if she was ready to get the pity look from Jess she figured she would receive. She knew from the countless times she's had to tell her backstory that people feel sorry for her, but she doesn't want it. She is strong and she's not ashamed of where she is from and she's proud of what she has accomplished. 

 

"Well," Rey mumbles, looking for where to start. She decides to rip off the proverbial band-aid and get it over with. Fixing her own eyes on the soft, melty brown of Jess's, she begins "my name is Rey, Rey Walker, of course. I don't know my birth family or where I am from. My earliest memory is walking through a desert in Arizona and stumbling on a fire station. The next 13 years I bounced around foster homes until I graduated high school," Rey trailed off, giving just a hint of her past but not wanting to over share everything.

 

To her immense surprise and relief, she never saw a flicker of sadness or pity in Jess's eyes. She still held her gaze with the burning curiosity she had worn the day prior. As Rey was finishing her spiel, Jess began to nod, obviously wanting more. 

 

"So what did you do after graduating high school then," Jess asked. "Did you move here or-"

 

"No" Rey began, "not right away. I got a scholarship to MIT, so I got my bachelors there. My degrees were my backup plan if I didn't make it in acting, but I knew I needed to be in a more major city so I decided to come to NYU for my masters and here I am. I graduate next week." 

 

"Wow," Jess said, completely awestruck with this sweet girl in front of her. "That's actually all really fucking cool and impressive, Rey. None of that education is easy and it's not easy to get into this business we're in either. It probably doesn't mean much, coming from someone who doesn't really know you, but I'm damn proud of you."

 

The look of satisfaction and awe that currently plastered Jess's face was enough to make Rey want to swoon and possibly cry…she settles for a tomato red blush that does nothing to hide her burning crush for this girl opposite her, still wearing the look of idolization. 

 

"Thank you, Jess. That, uh, that actually means a lot," Rey finishes, not knowing how else to continue without tears welling. 

 

Jess shrugs and continues on, "so Poe said you're turning 24 soon, when is your birthday?" 

 

Rey thinks for a second, and replies aloud instead of in her head like she had planned, "uhh, what's today?"

 

"December 7th." 

 

Rey finally looks away from Jess, wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground of this cozy little cafe they're at. How could she have forgotten her own birthday was today? True she never cared much for it, having never been able to celebrate when she was in her foster homes and only hoping her 18th would come soon so she could leave, but she had never actually forgotten it completely. 

 

"Rey," the sweet voice of Jess breaks through her reverie and she looks over at the speaker, and kind of wants to die at the tender smile that she sees, that she was definitely not expecting to see. 

 

"I'm guessing it's today, and you forgot because your life has been a chaotic shitshow with school and auditions?" Ok, Jess is damn good at reading her, first with lemon cake and now this. Her traitorous cheeks need to calm the fuck down. 

 

"Yea pretty much. I mean, I never really celebrated it, what with the wonderful foster life, but I've never actually forgotten it," Rey tried to brush it off, but Jess obviously wasn't having it. 

 

"Alright then, birthday girl. We're brushing off today and spending it doing nothing. Sound good?"

 

"Yes," is all Rey can say. What is there to say when Jessika Pava, Asian goddess with the most divine face and personality, wants to spend Rey's birthday with her? That's right, there's nothing else to say but to go along with whatever she wants to do and hope to any god listening that she doesn't spontaneously combust from all of the feelings assaulting her. 


	2. Chapter 2

And as it may be, doing nothing is exactly what they did. Once they left the cafe, Jess dragged Rey back to her apartment and left her to look around while Jess disappeared into her bedroom. Rey was looking at the pictures scattered on the wall of Jess with all of her family and friends, Rey assumed, when the other girl walked back to her, arms carrying all of the blankets and pillows Jess could carry and…are those pajamas? Oh god, she can't comprehend wearing Jessika Pava's pajamas right now. 

 

"Alright," Jess starts, "put these pj's on while I get more blankets and movies. We're going to have an adult-style teenage birthday party."

 

Rey took her time changing into the clothes Jess had shoved into her hands while proceeding to push her towards the closest room, which happened to be the spare bedroom. As she pulled on the softest sweatpants and sweatshirt she had ever felt, she may or may not have pulled up the collar and inhaled the sweet scent of Jess. It was an intoxicating mixture of flowers, tea, and something seductive. 

 

Rey walked back into the main room where Jess was fixing up a nest of blankets and pillows, equally as clad in soft sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun and she looked the pinnacle of comfort and Rey had a sudden, burning desire to sweep the girl up and cuddle her for the rest of her life. Probably not acceptable when you've only known a person for a few days.  _Whatever_.  

 

"Should I even ask what's going on right now?" Rey says as she sees Jess rummage out nail polish from a cubby next to the sofa. 

 

"I'm guessing that you never went to a sleepover when you were young, am I right?"

 

"Riiiight," Rey says a little skeptically. She's seen movies of course, about girls and how the usually 'hang out,' but being how Finn has been her only constant friend, and seeing as how he is utterly male in every sense of the word, she's never been much of a 'girl.' 

 

"Cool," Jess says with her winning smile and Rey feels every bit of skepticism leave her body immediately. This was going to be great if Jess continues to smile like that. "So what's going to happen is we're going to paint each other's nails, watch movies, drink wine because we're adults, and talk about silly things, yea?"

 

Rey nods, "you're the expert, Jess. I have no experience with any of this."

 

"You're damn right I am. Sit," Jess demands as she walks to the tv and puts on the first movie. "So do you want action or romcom first?"

 

"Action."

 

"That's my girl," Jess murmurs as she slips in the first Star Wars. Honestly who is this girl and how does she know what Rey loves so much?

 

"So are you just a really lucky guesser or do you have mind-reading powers and know that I love cake, especially lemon, and Star Wars is the love of my life?"

 

Jess just smirks, thinking about how she's going to spoil this girl rotten with every little thing she finds out about her. 

 

"I would love to read minds, maybe, there are some creeps out there that I would not enjoy that pleasure of reading," Jess winces and Rey wonders what people have said to this goddess aloud, "but I guess I just got lucky. Seriously, don't question good things," Jess finishes with a wink. 

 

"I'll try not to," Rey stammers, proud of herself for being able to speak even if she does sound like she can't breathe.  _Get it together, Walker!_  

 

They talked about everything and nothing while painting each other's nails, sounds of booming galactic warfare acting as their white noise. Snuggled deep in blankets on this cold December day, Rey starts to nod off during the end of Empire Strikes Back, and Jess formulates a plan. 

 

This sweet, beautiful birthday girl is going to wake up to the best damn cake Jess can try to make. True, she was no baking connoisseur, but google and Pinterest have all of the answers and Rey deserves the best. After popping in RotJ, Jess goes to work on baking what Pinterest says is the best chocolate fudge cake ever. 

 

Rey wakes to the sound of Luke being electrocuted, the mouthwatering smell of chocolate, and Jess nowhere in sight. She doesn't even remember the end of ESB, so she's been out for a while.  _Shit, what a great house guest_. 

 

"Jess?" Rey calls into the void. She hears murmurs of swear words and clanking around in what she assumes is the kitchen. She untangles herself from the heap of blankets she was cocooned in and turns around, only to see Jess smiling a shy smile and holding up a cake with candles on it. 

 

Rey's going to die. 

 

"Happy birthday, Rey," Jess says, "I would sing to you but I might break your ears. Come blow out your candles."

 

As Rey walks over, wondering why this girl would go through seemingly so much work for her, she thinks of her wish. She's going to wish that she can keep her damn cool around Jess and not want to cry every time she does something nice for her. It's currently not working, as she feels the tears welling already, but Jess just smiles as she blows out the candles and sets the cake down to cut. 

 

"So I've never made a cake from scratch," Jess says with a grimace, "and I had no Betty Crocker handy. So if this tastes like shit, blame the internet and don't feel bad if it's not good, alright?"

 

Rey laughs, if someone would go through all of this trouble for her, she's going to love it. And honestly, cake. Cake is the gift of the gods, Rey loves all cake. Even bad cake. 

 

"I'm sure it's fine, Jess," Rey finally says with a horribly concealed sniffle, which Jess thankfully ignores as she plops down Rey's piece in front of her and portions out one for herself. 

 

"Well, go on then, birthday girl gets the first taste!"

 

More than mildly overwhelmed, honestly overwhelmed is soon going to be her middle name, Rey takes a bite and  _holy shit_. 

 

"Holy shit," Rey moans. Literally moans and shovels another bite into her mouth. " _Jessika_." 

 

Ok, wow, Rey really shouldn't say her name like that. Unless there are less clothes involved and chocolate is completely optional and-ok  _get your shit together Pava!_  So Jess takes a bite of her apparent masterpiece of a cake and can see exactly why Rey can do hardly anything but moan and eat. 

 

"Holy shit!"

 

"Yea, that's what I'm saying! Jess how did you even do this?" Rey asks, riding a cake high so powerful she's floating in clouds of puffy chocolate and happiness. 

 

"I honestly don't know but god damn," Jess says as she slides another piece onto both hers and Rey's plate. 

 

"Jess this is literally the best cake I have ever had, my mind can't even comprehend life right now."

 

Needless to say, Rey and Jess spent the rest of the day watching sappy romcoms and eating more cake than was conducive to their wellbeing. They had no regrets though, at all. 

 

As Rey was getting ready to (unwillingly) leave, she grabs Jess's hand and gives the girl a penetrating gaze. "Jess," she starts, "thank you, for all of this. It's the best birthday I can remember having, even if I forgot about it in the beginning," Rey finishes by ducking her head. 

 

She was not expecting to be pulled into a fierce hug and tensed for a second, not being used to so much contact, but she wrapped her arms around Jess a second later and just let it happen. 

 

"While I don't think I should ever make that cake again for the sake of our bodies," Jess says with a laugh, "I'm happy I was able to give you a good birthday."

 

Jess pulled back first, much to Rey's dismay, but started to walk her out into the frigid night, and call her a cab. 

 

"Here," Jess says as a cab stops on the curb, "give me your phone and I'll put in my number. Text me so I know you got home safe."

 

Rey has Jessika Pava's number in her phone, is she hyperventilating? She's definitely hyperventilating. She needs to get her shit together, she's working with this girl for the next few months and then they're going to have to do all of the promotional shit together. Rey needs to breathe. 

 

From: Rey Walker

[Safe and sound]

 

From: Jess Pava 

[Glad to hear it. Happy birthday again, Rey. Sweet dreams]

 

Rey could text back a litany of thanks again for the most perfect day ever, but she just goes for regular friendly;

 

From: Rey Walker

[Thanks, Jess. Good night]

 

*

 

The following months flew by in a flurry of crazy. Rey and Jess had fallen into an easy friendship of hanging out and texting in between their filming schedules. 

 

Speaking of filming, it has been the most amazing experience Rey has ever gone through. She plays a scrawny kid that grew up in the slumps of NYC that joins the army with her best friend, played by Jess. Her and Jess get separated at basic and sent off to different squadrons. Rey's character is to be sent through a trial program that creates super spies in the form of enchanting, perfect women. Women who are small, perfect, and completely lethal. They are to seem demure, but have the power of ultimate persuasion, and if persuasion doesn't work, they use force. Rey's character is the only "prototype" that is successful and she is sent into enemy territory to gain vital intel. As the months go on and on and her and Jess's character haven't been able to communicate, Rey's character digs up intel that Jess's character was one of many pilots shot down and held captive in a remote holding block, deep in enemy territory. Rey's character, which is now built to be able to persuade  _anyone_ , uses her powers to initiate an extremely stupid, extremely deadly rescue mission to save her best friend. Jess's character is hurt and sent out on the first transport out and once she's gone that's when the plan starts to go to hell. They lose many, but save most, yet Rey's character winds up on a plane carrying nuclear weapons headed for the US. She does a latch ditch maneuver and puts the plane into the icy water near the Arctic Circle. The film ends with Rey's character's commanding officer telling a hospital ridden Jess-character that there is no sign of Rey or the plane, and Jess going crazy. 

 

It is the most intense job Rey has ever done but she loves every second of it. She loves the training she has to do to get the body they want both for the slummy girl and for the "perfect" woman. She loves it even more that Jess is training right by her side the entire time. 

 

*

It's mid-May, and they're nearly done with initial filming, when Rey's world goes haywire. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it sounds familiar, the movie the girls role in is loosely related to Captain America. It's hard to write two different stories at a time, people.


	3. Chapter 3

Her and Jess are having a lazy day in Rey's apartment. They just got back from filming in northern Japan and they have a 3-day hiatus, so they're spending it vegged out, binging on The Walking Dead. 

 

They're about to start the second season when there is a frantic pounding on Rey's door. She looks over at Jess who is wearing the same face of confusion. No one but Poe knows where either of them are and they don't have to report to the studio for two more days. Rey pauses the Netflix, looks down at her lazy wear, and hopes that it's no one important enough to where she needs to look presentable. 

 

Her heart stops as she opens the door, and it's not the stop in a good way like when Jess throws that smile carelessly her way. Standing at her door, holding her favorite flowers and an obvious "I'm sorry" cake, is Ben. 

 

Blood running cold and the hair on the back of her neck standing up stock straight, she snarls "what the fuck are you doing here, Ben?"

 

"Rey, I miss you," Ben starts, "I know it's taken me a long time, but I know what I did to you was wrong and I'm sorry. I want you back."

 

Rey couldn't believe this. She could actually not comprehend what her life currently was. Is Ben really standing here right now, trying to woo his way back into her heart and life that he shattered 5 years ago? Does he actually think that though the bruises don't show that she has forgotten what he did?

 

"Ben, I am going to say this the only way I know how, but you need to fucking leave and never come back here again," Rey says as she goes to shut the door. Unluckily for her, Ben uses his long arms and legs to his advantage and shoves the door open and grabs Rey by the arms. 

 

"Get off of me!"

 

"Rey listen-"

 

"She's not going to listen to anything and you're going to leave right now before I bash your fucking knees in and  _then_  call the cops," Jess says as she comes to Rey's rescue with the baseball bat that she keeps hidden in the hall closet. How did she even know that was there? Who cares, her goddess is saving her. 

 

"This is none of your concern, this is between me and Rey," Ben says as his hands clench tighter on Rey's arms, leaving bruises again like she only knows so well. Rey, thankfully stronger than the silly little 18 year old she was when she ran from Ben in the first place, uses her new muscles from training and rips out of Ben's hold on her. She uses his moment of shock to land a knee into his groin and a swift uppercut to his jaw. This sends him reeling back and she administers her final blow - a Sparta kick to his abdomen, thankful to the movie they had watched only hours before for the inspiration. 

 

"You little bitch!" Ben gasps out between pained breaths. "You're going to wish you never did that. You and your little friend over there don't know what's coming!" He says as he turns and walks away, leaving the flowers and cake strewn across the floor of her entryway where they had fell when he grabbed her. 

 

With the adrenaline from the fight and need to protect herself and Jess leaving her body, Rey slumps to the floor and proceeds to have the most embarrassing panic attack of her life. 

 

Jess throws the bat to the floor and drops down next to Rey, pushes the panicked girl's head between her knees, and rubs a hand up and down her back. Freaked out herself and wondering what the hell just happened, Jess just soothes Rey the best she can and waits for the extremely labored breathing she hears to level out. 

 

Once Rey's breathing is back to normal, she warily lifts her head to look at Jess and sees the worry written on the other girl's face. This was the last thing she ever wanted Jess to know or see of Rey's past. She honestly never thought she would see Ben again.

 

The last she saw of Ben was his naked form, asleep on the bed in which he had just fucked her in. Not wanting to receive abuse that day, Rey had acquiesced into having the regular, horrible sex with him to "relieve all of his stress."  As she had lay there next to him, wide awake, she decided that she was so much better than this. 

 

She had received word that morning about her acceptance and scholarship to MIT and was planning on telling Ben that night, but he had other plans. She was going to invite him to move to Massachusetts with her, to be with her during school, for she thought what they had was normal and was love, but that night was the end of that. 

 

She was going to be better than him, she knew that. He had no ambition for anything, and she had plans for her life. She was going to live the life she wanted, with or without someone by her side. 

 

After deciding that, Rey had stood up, sore from the careless way he ravaged her without a thought of her pleasure, gotten dressed, and left nothing behind but a note saying he would never see her again. 

 

As she sits here now, thinking of that last time she saw him replaying in her head, she honestly had no idea how he found her. She was brought out of her thoughts when Jess touched a gentle, soft hand to her cheek and she locked gazes with the girl. 

 

"Rey, tell me what-"

 

Rey shaking her head and dropping her eyes to the floor had stopped Jess's words, confused, but wanting to do whatever Rey needed from her. If she needed her to shut up, she would find a muzzle for herself. 

 

"Jess," Rey said with a shaky voice. "Jess I am so,  _so sorry_  you had to see that. I-I don't know how he found me."

 

"Rey," Jess started with that same sweet voice she used the day Rey forgot her birthday, "look at me, Rey." Slowly, so slowly Rey lifted her eyes to stare into the resolved and potent strength of Jess's gaze. Her breath caught at the site of the blatant fury in Jess's face. 

 

"Rey, don't you dare  _ever_  apologize for something like that," Jess said with a softness that completely contrasted with her penetrating gaze. 

 

The hand that was on Rey's cheek moved down and grasped both of Rey's hands as Jess stood to her feet, obviously wanting Rey to do the same. Once Rey was standing, Jess swept her up into a fierce hug. Rey held on tight, probably tighter than she should, nuzzled into Jess's neck, and just breathed in that familiar smell she knew was all Jess. 

 

"Rey, just, tell me," Jess mumbled out, obviously being smothered by Rey's hair, not that she could ever complain. "Just tell me what you need from me and you'll have it. Anything."

 

"I don't want to scare you, but I honestly think I need to just cry right now," Rey states with a shakey, huffed breath against Jess's neck. "And-maybe some of that cake you made on my birthday?" She finishes with a whisper which makes Jess chuckle. 

 

"I'll make you all the cake you want Rey, however much you want."

 

Rey takes one more deep breath, inhaling the safe scent of Jess's embrace, and reluctantly releases the girl. The promise of cake and crying being her only solace. She would be content to stay in that crook of Jess's neck forever, honestly. 

 

Jess gave her no time to dwell on those thoughts, though, as she was dragging Rey into the kitchen and telling her to stay put. Moments later, Jess came back with the fluffiest blanket possible and was wrapping it around Rey. She then proceeded to awkwardly plonk her down into the chair at the table that faced the kitchen. 

 

Jess then turned on her Spotify, and moved around the kitchen, mixing ingredients to the beat of Bohemian Rhapsody. Proper air instruments and different voices throughout. Rey could only sit back, smile, and watch the show. Literally, since she was wrapped so tight in her little, fluffy blanket. Jess had been right, her voice did kind of break Rey's ears, but who could give a shit about that when someone was making cake?

 

Jess shut the oven and came to grab Rey and unwrap her from her blanket burrito. She brought her out to the sofa and snuggled up close enough for comfort but far enough away to face Rey completely. Reaching over to the coffee table, she grabbed her phone and set a timer, then set her phone back down and turned her full attention to Rey. 

 

"So we have 45 minutes until cake," Jess says with an air of apprehension, "I'm not sure you want to talk about it, and I will never mention this again, but sometimes it's good to let people you can trust know about this. You can trust me, Rey, but I also understand if you never want to talk about it again." 

 

Rey thinks about it all for a minute. The only person who knows the whole situation about Ben is Finn. Finn, her best friend, who she hasn't even told about this acting job yet for reasons she still can't decipher. Finn, who would fly out here from England the second she asked him too. Finn, who is going to be pretty damn confused when he learns that she's been working with the celebrity he knew she had a burning girl crush on for a while. Rey is suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of Finn and the reappearance of Ben that she starts to shake. 

 

"I trust you. I just, I-I don't think," Rey starts as she feels some tears start to slide down her cheeks, "I don't think I'm ready to talk about it, Jess." 

 

Rey curls up and leans toward Jess, who grabs a blanket and tucks it around both of them. She tilts Rey's head onto her shoulder and snuggles into her as Rey's tears start to flow heavier and her body starts to convulse into itself on each gasping sob. Jess just holds the crying girl tight, not knowing what to do but hold her and rock her and hope that she will be ok. She's going to be ok, Jess is here. She will always be here for Rey. 

 

*

 

It was getting late into the night, after the crying had stopped and copious amount of cake had been consumed, when Jess asked Rey if she wanted her to stay, just in case. 

 

"He said that it wouldn't be the end of things," Jess had fought, "he could come back tonight."

 

"You would do that for me?" Rey asked meekly, she couldn't deny that she had wanted extra company in the wake of today's "Ben" revelation, but she was surprised that Jess still wanted to stick around. 

 

"Hell yea I would," Jess said fiercely, "I won't let him back here if I have a say in it."

 

Rey couldn't contain her smile that broke out on her face. Jess was honestly the best ever. 

 

"You're honestly the best, Jess. You can go wear any of my pj's, they're all in the bottom drawer and sleep shirts are hanging up on the left," Rey says as she cleans up the plates and pillows. 

 

Jess saunters off to Rey's room to change while Rey does the dishes and tidies up. She's nearly finished when Jess comes back in looking down right sexy in Rey's sleep shorts and a loose v-neck. 

 

"I can literally sleep anywhere you want me, so point me in a direction," Jess says as she puts her hair into a braid. 

 

 _Now is not the time to blush, Walker!_ Blush is what she does nonetheless, great. 

 

Rey does a tiny cough before saying "I mean my bed is honestly plenty big enough, if that doesn't make you uncomfortable?"

 

"Rey," Jess starts with that sweet, winning smile, "I did say anywhere, and I'm happy for a bed." 

 

Jess picks up the blankets Rey had folded and walks out of the room with a wink towards Rey. Shit,  _keep it together, Walker. You're just friends!_  She grabs two bottles of water from the fridge, the remainder of the pillows, and starts the walk to her death. 

 

*

 

Rey slept with Jessika Pava. Not in the way she had done in her ever potent fantasies, but they shared a bed and it had been less deadly than she had anticipated. Rey had been so exhausted from the day that she was basically asleep by the time her head hit her pillow and she had, thankfully, slept dreamlessly. 

 

She woke to an empty bed and the smell of coffee and tea wafting through her door. Bleary-eyed, she stumbled into her dining room to see Jess sitting there, enjoying cake and tea, with a slice and cup of coffee waiting for Rey. Rey vaguely wondered if it was too soon to propose marriage to this girl. She was seriously perfect. 

 

"'Morning," Rey says softly through a yawn as she sits down across from Jess. 

 

"Hey!" Jess says with more enthusiasm than necessary for this early in the morning. "Sleep well?"

 

"Surprisingly well, actually," Rey replied with a sip of her coffee, which she had come to see had the perfect amount of half n half, Jess is trying to kill her, like come on. "I haven't slept that well in a long time."

 

"Glad to hear it," Jess says with a nod. "Want to go for a walk and then finish season 4 of Walking Dead? We have an early start tomorrow so we probably shouldn't binge too hard," she finished with a grimace. 

 

The past two days, besides the Ben interlude, had been so relieving and cozy. Jess has been content on staying professional and just friends with Rey since they met, and yesterday had lent hand in strengthening their friendship through tears. She would be lying though if she said she wanted to stay friends. 

 

A problem she now faced, that she hadn't known how to bring up to Rey, was that of the girl's preference of partner. Jess could have sworn that Rey blushed on some occasions when she had gotten flirty, but Rey had never came out with saying she liked either men or women. Rey had also never done any research, that Jess knew, into Jess's preference. Yet now, with yesterday's ex-boyfriend revelation, Jess's query was answered. Mostly. Rey could be bi, right? She totally could be, there's still hope. 

 

Jess also knew now that Rey is obviously emotionally and physically traumatized by whatever Ben had done to her. Rey hadn't told her anything, but the tone the girl had used yesterday when she answered the door made Jess sick to her stomach in worry and hatred for whomever was standing opposite her. She had never heard that flat, fearful, loathing voice come from Rey's mouth and she knew she had to come to the girl's aid. 

 

Going into protective-friend mode, Jess hoped to hell that Rey would have something to ward off someone she didn't want in her apartment and was relieved to find a hidden baseball bat. Star softball player when she was 7, Jess figured she could do some damage if needed. When she walked around the corner and saw the way he was grabbing Rey, Jess saw crimson. She's was stopped from bludgeoning the colossal man when Rey had attacked him first. As she saw the bruises begin to form on the girl's pale arms, she wondered how many had been placed there and on other parts of that perfect girl's body? All Jess knew was that she never wanted to see it again. Whoever Rey wanted to be with some day was going to be watched like a hawk by Jess to make sure Rey was ok, no matter what. 

 

After their short walk in the rising heat of the mid-May morning, their day had passed in the same fashion as the previous two. Sadly, Jess did have to go home this time as they both had to be at the studio in the morning, a little too early than is appropriate, to wrap up filming. It was nearing 6 that night when Jess left and Rey decided to order out, feeling much too lazy to cook anything. 

 

She figured she would FaceTime Finn while she waits for the Chinese to get there. It's been so long since she's seen Finn's face and nearly cries when she sees him answer, currently yelling at his tv in what she imagines is his latest RPG enthrallment. He whines in exasperation at his fellow gamers, throws his controller, and finally focuses his Cheshire smile at Rey.

 

"There's my girl!" He exclaims loudly, "I was wondering if I was going to have to fly over there to see you! Alright?"

 

"Hey, Finn-o! I'm sorry we haven't FaceTimed much lately," Rey says with a grimace. She misses him so much, but she has kept this whole, about to be extremely famous, thing away from him and she hasn't exactly known how to break the news. "There's so much I need to tell you!"

 

"Well I'm all ears, Sunshine," he replies. He's always called her his little Rey of sunshine, ever since they met in high school. He had been an exchange student for the semester she was actually in a home for longer than 6 months. He had been oddly constant on wanting to be friends with her, and once she finally relented, they had been inseparable. 

 

It has been 8 years and thanks to all the technology Rey was privy to at college, they chatted over skype or FaceTime at least once a week. Since December though it had been more texting than FaceTime, but Finn just blamed it on Rey getting a crazy-busy job in whatever engineering thing she wanted to do. He wanted to hear all about her big girl status now, so he turned off his tv and gave her his full attention. 

 

"Well," Rey began, "I've been keeping something from you-"

 

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Surely it wasn't Chinese already, they take forever. Perhaps Jess had forgotten something and came back. Finn sounded indignant, complaining that she should finish what she was saying as she walked to her door, but she couldn't hear anything he was saying, because she was now staring again at the face of Ben. He smiled the most loathsome, unfriendly smile, and pushed open the door Rey was trying valiantly to close. 

 

"Hey, Rey. Now that your little girlfriend is gone, you and I are going to have a chat about what you've done."


	4. Chapter 4

Finn was absolutely freaking out. The last thing he heard and saw from Rey's end was her phone dropping to the floor, landing so Finn could only see the ceiling, and the sounds of Rey screaming. Knowing that staying on the line wasn't going to solve anything, he hung up and tried to figure out how to call the American police force in New York. He couldn't give two shits about international call prices right now, his best friend was being beaten by her violent ex. 

 

Finn was the only person Rey had ever confided in after she left Ben. She had cut off all contact with Finn the year that her and Ben were together, and Finn didn't know why until after she left and had called him, explaining how Ben wouldn't let her talk to anyone, let alone another guy. Finn was ready to fly over that night to put Ben in his place, but Rey had talked him out of it with telling him about her scholarship. She was going places and Ben was going to be on the complete opposite side of the country. 

 

Well Ben was now not at all on the opposite side of the country. He was in Rey's apartment, where she lives alone and knows no body. Finn finally gets a hold of NYPD, not their emergency line, but hey he will take what he can get, and explains the situation as best as he can. It's been 10 minutes, and knowing how small Rey is, anything could have happened by now. As soon as Finn hangs up the phone with NYPD he packs his duffle bag and phones a cab to Heathrow. No matter what happens, whether Rey is ok or not, Finn needs to be there. 

 

*

 

Jess had just gotten out of the shower and was about to make some tea before bed when her cell rang. She usually never answers when it's a number she doesn't know, having crazy fans and all, but she feels like this one is important, so she answers;

 

"Hello?"

 

"Hello," says a voice with a little too much sugar sprinkled in it, "this is Susan Holmes from Mount Sinai Hospital, may I speak with a Ms. Pava?"

 

Shit, hospital? Who is it, please don't let it be…

 

"Yes, this is she-"

 

"Ms. Pava, I am calling in regards to a Ms. Rey Walker that was admitted earlier this evening." Fuck  _fuck fuck fuck_!

 

"Ms. Pava I'm going to need you to calm down and take some deep breaths for me," says this Susan woman and Jess realizes she said the litany of "fucks" aloud. Ok, breathing she could do, kind of.  

 

"What happened, is Rey ok?"

 

"I'm sorry, Ms. Pava but I cannot give you any information by phone. She gave us your name as her emergency contact when she woke up from surgery and-"

 

_Surgery?_ What the hell happened?

 

"I'll be right there,"  _click_. 

 

Jess cursed the fact that she didn't have a car right now. Though it may not have done her any good anyway, with New York traffic being what it is, but being surrounded by hordes of people on the underground was not doing anything for the panic and anxiety that was flowing through her veins right now. 

 

During her sprint to the closest station to her apartment, a solid 6 blocks away, Jess had deemed that the only thing possible was that fucker Ben had come back. She's never hated herself so much in this moment. She should have brought Rey back to her apartment. She had a spare room sitting there, for Christ sake. She already screwed up on the promise she made herself to make sure Rey never saw that guy again, and now she had to have  _surgery_? Jess wasn't sure she was ready to see what Ben had done to Rey. 

 

Jess was the first person out of the subway as the doors opened up for her stop and she didn't give two shits about the looks she was getting as she sprinted up to the street and across the busy road to the emergency entrance of the hospital. She stopped outside the doors to collect herself, she couldn't let Rey, if she was awake, see how distraught she was. She needed to be strong for her, because Rey obviously needed her most if she put Jess as her emergency contact. Once her breathing had gone back to as normal as it was going to get, she walked in and asked to be shown to where Rey was. 

 

The second she walked in the door she nearly passed out. Rey was laying back on her bed with her eyes closed. Jess took this time to look over every part of the girl that was visible and wanted to cry from each bruise she saw. Her face was surprisingly clean of any marks save a scratch that begins on her right cheek and descends down to her collar bone. Her shoulders and arms are completely covered in deep, purple bruises that are both in the shape of hands and just splodges. The remainder of Rey is covered in a basic hospital gown and some warm blankets. Jess sits down in the chair next to the bed, gingerly takes Rey's hand, and rubs circles on the girl's skin with her thumb. 

 

She doesn't know how long it's been of her just staring at Rey when a nurse comes in to check her charts and IV. 

 

"Hello, my name is Katie and I'm Rey's nurse for tonight. Are you Rey's girlfriend?" The nurse asks. This gets Jess to laugh for the first time since she got the call. 

 

"No," Jess replies with longing in her voice, "just really good friends. We work together." Rey's nurse nods, noticing the way Jess is looking at the girl, but thankfully doesn't say anything about it. 

 

Jess waits for the nurse to finish changing out Rey's IV bag before asking, "can you tell me what happened to her, please?"

 

The nurse, Katie, Jess needs to remember, logs into the computer next to Rey and looks over her information. 

 

"I don't have any information past assault," Katie says with a wince, "but I can tell you the majority of her injuries?"

 

Jess just gives her a nod to continue on, not knowing if she was able to speak right now. Rey obviously had so many more injuries than Jess can see right now and she can already feel the phantom pain of her failure in what she already sees. 

 

"Rey suffered multiple contusions and lacerations all over her arms and abdomen, along with a dislocated elbow, some bruises ribs, and a mild concussion. We didn't know how extensive her abdominal injuries were, so we did a laparoscopy to look for any internal bleeding, and thankfully we found none," Katie finished with the flat tone she needs to keep so she can do her job properly and not break down every five minutes. Honestly, nurses don't get enough credit for the shit that they have to handle. 

 

But holy fucking hell, who would ever do that to Rey? That sweet, beautiful girl who just wants to have fun in this world. 

 

Katie continues on while Jess soaks up everything she was just told. "She's on some pretty good pain meds right now, so she will be in and out of consciousness for the next few hours. This button here will summon me if she wakes up and needs anything. I'll be back soon." 

 

"Thank you," is all Jess can muster out as Katie walks out. All she can do now is wait for Rey to wake up, to see those bright eyes look at her so Jess could tell her it's all going to be ok. 

 

It's another hour and a half before Rey finally starts to stir. 

 

"Rey?" Jess whispers, not wanting to startle her, "Rey I'm here. Are you in pain, do you need anything?"

 

"Jessika?" The hurt in Rey's voice is palpable and it takes all of Jess's acting abilities to keep her tears from falling. 

 

"I'm right here, Rey. Do you need something? Water, the nurse, anything I'll get you anything," Jess states matter of factly. 

 

Rey surprises Jess by chuckling. She just had all this shit done to her and she was laughing? My god those pain meds must be amazing. 

 

"Um, maybe a little water, please?" Rey says with a shaky voice. "And just stay here with me."

 

Jess goes to hand Rey the water that Katie had thankfully brought in not 20 minutes earlier, but notices the pained expression on Rey's face as she lifts the arm that's not in a sling. Jess just shoos away Rey's offered hand and sits down softly on the big bed that Rey's body fits just a small portion of. Rey looks like she's going to protest as Jess brings the cup to her lips, but she gives in when she realizes how weak she actually feels. She takes slow sips, savoring every pass of water on her lips, until the whole little cup is finished. 

 

"Thank you, Jess" Rey says as she leans back against her pillows. She looks over at Jess, shyly, and continues on, "I'm sorry that they called you. You were the first person I could think of that lives in this state. I was on the phone with Finn when-…oh shit,"

 

"What, what's wrong, are you ok?" Jess panics at the sudden change of pace and frantic look on Rey's face. 

 

"No, no I'm fine!" Rey says as she starts looking around, "but I was FaceTiming my friend when Ben knocked on my door and he probably heard everything that happened!" And ok this wasn't good, Rey was properly freaking out right now, the nurses were going to rush in soon with her heart rate going so high. 

 

"I need to call Finn to let him know what's going on he's probably going ballistic with worry right now!" Rey was basically screaming and Katie rushed in with a look of confusion. 

 

"Rey," Katie says with a faux-soothing voice, "honey I'm going to need you to calm down for me, ok? You're fine, you're safe, you have me and-"

 

"Jessika,"

 

"You have me and Jessika with you, ok? Are you in pain?" Katie asks as she gently pushes Rey back against the bed. 

 

"No, I'm fine!" Rey says indignantly, her day just getting worse and worse by the minute. "I need my phone, I need to call my friend!"

 

"Alright well I will go check in your personal belongings that the officers brought along for your phone, ok?" Katie asks once she's determined Rey is not going to have her heart beat out of her chest. "I'll be right back."

 

Rey just slumps back and closes her eyes and mutters to herself about how stupid she's been. 

 

"Can I ask why you think you're stupid?" Jess asks and Rey finally opens her eyes and looks over at Jess who is smiling that sweet ass smile at her. Well shit, this might get interesting. 

 

"I was on the phone with my best friend, Finn, like I said. He lives in London so we don't get to talk much. Well I haven't told him about any of…this" Rey gestures in a circular motion between her and Jess. _This?_

 

"'This,' being what, exactly?"

 

"I never told him, or anyone really, that I had a burning desire to become an actress," Rey says defeatedly. "He has no idea of anything I have been doing the past 6 months. He has no clue about you, or Poe, or anything." Rey looks away, clearly mad at herself, and embarrassed for reasons Jess can't comprehend yet. 

 

"And now you're worried about how he's going to take all of that in on top of what happened to you tonight?" Jess gives, which makes Rey turn back towards her. 

 

"Pretty much, yea" Rey says with a sigh. "I know he's going to be sad that I didn't tell him about any of the acting stuff. He's the sweetest guy ever and I know he's going to be my number one fan, I just never wanted to let him down if none of it worked out, you know?"

 

Jess nods, she can see Rey's point, especially knowing the girl's troubled past, but it still hurts to hear that Rey didn't want to confide her dreams in her best friend. It didn't seem fair. 

 

Jess was about to reply when Katie walked back into the room with Rey's cell phone. Rey tried to reach out for it, but failed with how weak she felt. 

 

"Here, I'll do it," Jess says to Katie, who hands her the phone. Jess knows Rey's passcode, ridiculous girl using her birthday as her lock, and unlocks the phone. She finds Finn's name quickly in Rey's 'Favorites' section, smiling when she sees her number there also, and calls him. 

 

He doesn't answer. 

 

"Call him again, please," Rey begs. Her heart rate is going up again and Jess holds her hand to try and calm her which only makes it worse.  _Interesting_. 

 

He doesn't answer again. Rey is hyperventilating. 

 

"Rey you need to breath," Jess says as soothingly as she can. "It's like, 4am in London right now, maybe he's asleep or something." How Finn could ever fall asleep if he knew what happened to Rey is besides Jess, but she doesn't mention anything. Who knows why he isn't answering. 

 

"Ok, ok," Rey says, trying to calm down. She just lays there, eyes closed, and breaths. Eventually, her drugs kick in and she's asleep again. 

 

She's out for a good 3 hours when she startles awake again and Jess flails out to soothe her. 

 

"It's ok, Rey. I'm here. Do you need anything? Do you want me to get your nurse?" 

 

Rey nods, eyes fluttering open and closed. "Hurts," she grumbles. Jess pushes the button Katie had showed her and the nurse walks in seconds later. 

 

"Rey, what's the matter?" Katie asks sweetly, coffee cup in hand. 

 

"She said she hurts," Jess says as she gazes upon Rey's who nods in agreement. 

 

The nurse pushes some buttons on the IV machine and turns back to the girls. "That should be a little better, Rey. I'll come back to check how you feel in a little bit, ok?"

 

They both just nod and Katie leaves. 

 

"Jess," Rey says after a few minutes of silence, thankfully sounding much stronger. "Jess, can we call Finn again?" 

 

Jess picks up Rey's phone, only to find that it’s dead. "Only if you know his number by heart, your phone's dead," she says with a grimace. Rey groans at her luck. 

 

"I'll go ask the nurses for a charger, I'm sure one of them will have…"

 

She's cut off by Katie walking into the room with a tall, gorgeous black man that is wearing the same expression of terror that Jess had worn when she walked into the hospital. His expression was tinged with a little bit of tiredness though, and before Jess could wonder who it was, Rey was yelling-

 

"Finn!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Rey, good god, you're ok!" 

 

The man, apparently Finn, walked right past Jess and kneeled next to Rey's bed, grasping the hurt girl's hand in a gentle embrace. 

 

"Finn, what-how?" Finn just shook his head, so bloody happy Rey was alive, but more exhausted than he could remember ever being in his life, he just lays it all out with no preamble. 

 

"God, Rey, all I heard was Ben's voice and then you screaming," both him and Jess, who hasn't been acknowledged by the man, shiver at the thought. "I hung up when I knew there was no way you were getting back to the phone and I somehow figured out a way to call New York's police department. I didn't know if they would even send anyone to check on you so I packed my bag and got the first flight out," Finn was shaking full force now, his body finally being drained from all of the adrenaline from the past few hours, but he continued on. "The second I landed I called you and you didn't answer, but before I started searching hospitals I stopped by your apartment. Apparently they don't lock doors after they take you away, isn't that kind of weird?" Finn jokes, which lightens the mood a considerable amount. 

 

Jess takes this break in Finn's story to slink out of the room to find him a warm blanket and maybe some tea. This kid has had a much rougher day than she has, and he took a last minute international flight to get here. She's going to bring him two teas, damn it. 

 

"So anyway," Finn continues on, not noticing the lack of audience that Rey does, "I looked up the nearest major hospital to your apartment and here I am. Are you ok? Tell me everything."

 

Rey huffs, this is going to be interesting, but she proverbially marches on nonetheless. She tells him how it wasn't the police, but the Chinese delivery boy, who had come to her rescue. In the heat of Ben's fury, he had left the door open and the delivery boy heard her screams. He rushed in and knocked out a preoccupied Ben, and called an ambulance for the nearly unconscious Rey. She only remembers bits and pieces until she woke up to Jess a few hours ago. And Jess, that was another thing. 

 

"Finn, there's something I've been meaning to tell you..." Rey starts, ducking away but knowing she needs to look at Finn when she explains everything. She musters up her courage and starts with "so I'm an actress, and I've been working on a major film the past 6 months."

 

"Sorry, run that by me again?" Finn states in utter disbelief. 

 

"Well I always wanted to be an actress, and engineering was just my backup plan," Rey says, "I landed a role two weeks before I finished grad school. It's so amazing Finn, I'm working alongside-" Rey pauses as the girl of her story shuffles in with a heap of blankets and a tray full of what smells like coffee and tea. 

 

"Hey!" Jess says, "I'm Jessika. Jess, really, I work with Rey. You look like you could use a blanket and some tea," Jess finishes as she sets the tray down next to Finn, who had proceeded to drop his jaw when he finally noticed Jess. 

 

"Jessika Pava," he finally squeaks out, "you work with…you know Jessika Pava?" Finn is speechless right now. Not only has his best friend of 8 years just revealed to him that she has wanted to be and succeeded at becoming an actress, but she has been doing so the past 6 months? And with the actress he knows she had the most major girl crush ever on? Oh this is just too much. He must be on a game show right now. He's not sure if it's because of how bone-deep exhausted he is, or if this is actually a really funny scenario, but Finn just busts out laughing his deep, deep laugh and can't stop. 

 

"Finn?" Rey asks, currently questioning her best friend's sanity. 

 

"Sorry," he says between wracking laughs, "this is just a lot to take in right now. You're an actress, not an engineer, and you're working with the hottest actress of the year?"  _Well shiver me timbers, Finn, you're not so bad yourself_ , Jess thinks. If only she wasn't so extraordinarily gay, pity. 

 

"Finn!" Rey exclaims, taken aback by him calling Jess hot. 

 

"What? I mean, I know I'm gay as all hell, but come on, she's hot both in appearances and in her career!" 

 

Alright well he's gay too, this is great, can we all be gay? Preferably Rey, can Rey be gay? Jess should introduce Finn to Poe, they'll get along fabulously. 

 

"Alright, alright," Jess says in hopes of breaking up whatever the hell is going on between these two. "Let's not get Rey too worked up now, we can't have her stitches burst open. Finn, you looked tired as hell buddy, there's a hotel right around the block. I can call and book you a room if you want since I'm sure you didn't have any time to do that before coming gallivanting to the States."

 

"I don't want to leave Rey," Finn says as he stands up, swaying slightly from exhaustion, "and what about you?" 

 

"Ok you don't have to go anywhere, I'll go sugar up a nurse for a roll-in bed,"

Jess says with a wink. Sometimes it's good to be famous, though she doesn't like to use that super power that often. Rey is worth it, though. "And as for me, I need to make some calls and let the studio know that we're going to have to push filming back until Rey is healed…completely." Jess points that last word at Rey, who she knows would push herself way beyond what is safe for a girl who went through what she just did. 

 

Rey just closed her eyes and groaned, "oh no, I didn't even think about filming! This is horrible, they're going to be so mad at me!" 

 

"Rey!" Jess and Finn say at the same time. Well at least they've got admonishing this girl in common. They pause to look at each other and Finn gives her a look of 'you're the filming expert' so she continues on. 

 

"Rey don't even begin to think or worry about that stuff, ok?" Jess says as she moves closer to Rey, she needs her to hear this so Rey doesn't feel so guilty. "The studios set out allotted brackets of time just in case a lead actor gets hurt, especially in filming an action-packed one like ours. This was not, and is not your fault, do you understand me?" Jess locks on to Rey with that serious and penetrating gaze that Rey knows means business, so all she can do is nod in ascent. 

 

"Good," Jess says, "now I'm going to go ask about that bed for you, Finn, and make some calls. I'll be back in a little bit," she finishes with a glance at both Rey and Finn, and ok maybe another to Rey, before she saunters out of the room. 

 

The second he thinks Jess is far enough away, Finn turns on Rey, who is already wearing her 'who, me?' face. "Ohhhh, no. You're not getting out of this," Finn laughs as he pulls up the chair that Jess had been sitting in, and grabs his tea. "Jessika fucking Pava, Rey? I know for a fact you had the biggest crush on her, so how have you made it through these months?" He sits back, sips at his tea like a proper gent, and waits for Rey. 

 

Again, she's really lost count at how many times she's done this tonight, Rey slumps back on her bed with a groan. "It has been utter agony, Finn," Rey says with a whine. "She's literally perfect. I have to tell you everything so you can share my pain."

 

*

 

When Jess walked back in to Rey's room thirty minutes later with a roll-in bed in tow, she was greeted to the sight of Finn sleeping soundly in the chair that she had previously occupied. 

 

Jess made the bed for Finn as Rey's nurse checked all of her stats and IV. Once the bed was ready, Jess nudged Finn awake and half carried him to it, plopped him down, and he was back asleep with an unintelligible mutter. 

 

"Poor kid must be exhausted," Jess starts, "we're all exhausted I would imagine." 

 

"Jess, you don't have to-" Rey tries, but Jess just shakes her head. 

 

"I'm not going to leave until Finn wakes up," Jess argues, "I want to know someone is with you at all times."

 

"I'm guessing there's no arguing this point?" Rey asks with a sigh. 

 

"You're damn right there isn't, now sleep. We'll talk more when you wake up, ok?"

 

Rey lies back with a sigh, but heavy lids win over any of her resolve to stay awake, and she's asleep in minutes. 

 

She wakes to a warm, welcoming stream of sunlight tumbling through the curtains of her room. She looks to her right and sees the heap she knows to be Finn still rising and falling in the pattern of slumber. To her left is Jess, looking severely uncomfortable, curled up around her jacket on the chair where she had been sitting vigilantly last night. 

 

Rey, not wanting to wake either of her companions, but also not wanting to leave Jess in that position, began to whisper loudly to the sleeping girl,

 

"Jess. Jess.  _Jessika_!"

 

Jess jumped up and nearly ate shit when her legs got tangled in her jacket-pillow and she began a maneuver with her hands like she was trying to find a light switch in the dark. 

 

"Rey, what is it? Are you ok? Do you need the nurse?" Jess says in a panic, regretting the 'power nap' she went for hours ago. 

 

"Sorry," Rey says with a laugh, "I'm fine I promise, you just looked really uncomfortable."

 

Jess relaxed a little bit knowing Rey wasn't currently in crisis, so she nodded and tried to brush her hands through her hair with no avail. Sleeping on a chair with a makeshift jacket-pillow lead for sleep hair that even a brush might not be able to conquer. 

 

"Right, uh, thanks," Jess says a little flustered. She should have been awake while they both slept. True that they had Ben in custody, but he could have posted bail and come back for Rey in the night. Jess already was kicking herself for leaving Rey alone yesterday. She had a plan that would change that, and she hoped to any god out there that Rey will agree with her proposal. 

 

"Listen, Rey. I know you're going to say it's not my fault, but I should never have left you alone last night-"

 

"Jess, it-" Jess cut her off with a death stare and she took Rey's hand in her own. 

 

"No, just hear me out, ok?" Jess asked, and didn't continue until Rey sighed and nodded for her to carry on with it. 

 

"Ben probably was waiting and watching if I would leave, and that's when he went in. You said you didn't know how he found you, so I think that you shouldn't go back to your apartment, and that you should live with someone so you're not alone." 

 

Jess took a deep breath and pushed on, "I just so happen to have a spare room in my apartment, and it would make, I think, both of us feel better knowing we have each other." 

 

Rey was looking at her now in total shock and seemed to be reaching for something to say. 

 

"You don't have to give me an answer right now," Jess said as she stood up, "I'm going to go get tea for myself and for Finn, whenever he wakes up, and I'm going to go let your new nurse know you're awake. I'll be back, alright?" At Rey's silent nod, she left the room. 

 

_This is just great, Pava, way to overwhelm this poor girl!_  Jess thought, but she couldn't bring herself to care that much. She meant everything she said and she wanted Rey safe. 

 

"Did I just hear all of that correctly?" A very surprised and very awake Finn asked. "Did Jessika fucking Pava just ask you to move in with her? And she's going to get me tea again?"

 

"Y-yea she did, and yes she is" Rey said in astonishment, still staring at the empty doorway that Jess had slinked out of moments before. "What do I do, Finn?" Rey asks, finally looking over towards Finn, who had been awake enough to hear that part of the girls' conversation. 

 

"Well, you say 'yes' obviously."

 

"Obviously," Rey echoes, voice shaky, "but what about the fact that I think I'm in love with her?" 

 

"I can't help you there, love," Finn says with a grimace, all too aware now of how Rey's past 6 months with Jess have been an utter and nonstop torment of feelings. "Maybe get drunk together and spill out your feelings over wine, the notebook, and then make passionate love all night?"

 

"You are the worst best friend ever," Rey replies, voice aching with love for this sweet boy that flew across the pond for her. 

 

"Oh don't I know it?"


	6. Chapter 6

Not too long after that Rey's new nurse came in to check on her, followed by Jess who carried a tray of teas and a brown paper bag that smelled like pastries. 

 

"Good morning, Rey" the nurse greeted, "my name is Chris and I took over for Katie while you were asleep. I'm just going to check your charts and your doctor will be in soon to give you more information, is that ok?" Chris finished with a charming smile. 

 

Jess is going to have to make a donation to this hospital, they are on top of their game with taking care of her girl.  _She's not your girl, Pava, cool your shit._  Oh well, close enough. 

 

No sooner had Chris left when a lady in a white coat walked in and introduced herself. "Good morning, Ms. Walker, I am Dr. Kalonia. I looked over your charts from last night and I believe you will be fine enough to be discharged tomorrow," the doctor said with a smile. Jess and Finn both let out equal sighs of relief at hearing how soon Rey was going to be released. 

 

"You need to give everything time to heal, though," the doctor continued in her stern, doctory tone, "so that means nothing strenuous for 2-4 weeks, do you understand?"

 

Rey nodded, "yes, I promise."

 

"That's what I like to hear," the doctor replied with a winning smile. "I am going to give you some prescriptions for any lingering pain but I mostly want you to sleep. Other than that, you will be fit as a fiddle!" The doctor flicked her IV bag twice at that, smiled at the three of them, and walked out of the room. 

 

Once the doctor had left, and Jess had distributed her hull of morning treats, Rey finally blurted out, "I'll move in with you." 

 

Jess was taken by surprise at the rushed answer, but her surprise turned into joy when she saw that shy smile plastered on Rey's face that she loved so much. She had to make sure she wasn't pushing it though,

 

"Are you sure? I didn't want to make it seem like you didn't have an option," Jess asked, but Rey was slightly shaking her head the whole time. 

 

"No, you're right," Rey said in a small voice, "I'm kind of afraid to go back there, and you're probably the only person I know well enough to trust living with right now." 

 

"Great," and it was great, Jess was going to get to see Rey every day, life was perfect. Jess stood up and pushed on, "I'll take care of everything and hire some movers-no don't give me that look you're supposed to be resting, not moving!"

 

Rey tried to argue, but with the power of both Finn and Jess against her, she could only go along with what they told her to do. "Fine," she said with a huff, trying to cross her arms across her chest only to be stopped by her sling. Lovely. 

 

"That's my girl," Jess replied with a smile. "Finn, I'm going to leave her to you then, I need to make some more calls for the move and then I need to head over to the studio."

 

Jess started putting on her jacket and grabbed her tea before she headed out, "how long are you staying in New York, Finn?" 

 

"Oh, uh-" Finn hadn't actually gotten that far in his planning as he rushed to the airport and caught his flight here. He worked for his dad in the family law firm back home, as he was attending university to follow in the family business. He had called his dad on the way to the airport to explain what had happened, and had informed the older man that he didn't know how long he would be in the states for. Knowing how important Rey was to his son, the man saw no reason to want him back in London until Rey was safe and sound. Finn would work remotely for as long as he needed to be here for Rey, but he couldn't stay away from school for very long. He only had one more semester until he was set to take his exams. 

 

"I'll probably stay until the end of the week, if that's ok with you, Rey?" Finn said after a beat. He didn't know where he was going to stay since Rey was now moving in with Jess, or how he was going to pay for it, but he would make it work. 

 

"I want you to stay for as long as you're able, Finn, but I know you've got to get back soon," Rey replied. "Jess, I don't want to crowd your apartment now with me and Finn both-"

 

Jess just gave Rey a 'really right now?' look and stepped closer to them both. 

 

"My apartment is plenty big for all of us, we can worry about sleeping arrangements later," Jess said with that sweet ass smile. "Just spend some time together today and I'll take care of everything, ok? I'll be back later," and with that Jess walks out of the room. 

 

"Wow,"

 

"I know, Finn. I know."

 

*

 

Jess was the busiest little bee for the next 10 hours or so. She got into contact with her lawyer to both get help with Rey's case against Ben and to help break Rey's lease at her apartment because honestly, sometimes landlords can be dicks and Jess doesn't have the time to fuck with that right now. 

 

After some lengthy chats with her lawyer, having to give her testimony of what she saw two days prior, Jess enlisted some movers that worked at the studio. Rey wasn't famous, but Jess was and since Rey's belonging were being moved into Jess's apartment, she had to get people she trusted. Also she hired them for a level of security for Rey, since she didn't want some randoms knowing where either of them lived. 

 

Once she was done with the movers, who would arrive at Rey's apartment tomorrow to move everything, she contacted her travel agent and gave him a rough estimate of when Finn was leaving as Jess was going to use her miles to fly him home first class, like he deserves. 

 

Last but not least, Jess stopped in to the studio to have a chat with Poe and the producers about what was going to happen. She had been honest when she told Rey that blocks of time were sanctioned off in case an actor was hurt, but there was still paperwork to do and Jess wanted to make it all as easy as it could be on Rey. She also couldn't break any confidences, either, so she had to inform everyone what happened to Rey, but give as little detail about  _how_ , as possible. 

 

Then finally, after all of that, Jess took a solid ass nap to recoup from her chair sleep. She wanted to be able to actually stay up all night this time, so she needed to rest while she could. 

 

It was nearly 10 at night when Jess made it back to the hospital, only to find Rey dead asleep and Finn typing away on his laptop, propped up on his roll-in bed. 

 

Finn lifted his head at the knock on the door and smiled as Jess poked her head in. "Hey, Finn!" Jess whispered, "how's our girl?"

 

"Hey Jess, come on in," Finn says in a casual tone, not at all trying to keep his voice down. "Don't worry, Rey can usually sleep through anything," Finn comments with a glance toward the sleeping girl in question. "Especially with the pain meds, though they've been wearing them off all day," he finished with a slight frown. He hated to see Rey in pain. They all hated it. 

 

"How'd everything go today?" Jess asks as she sets down her bag of goodies she brought along to fill her time and shucks off her jacket. "You guys have fun catching up?"

 

"We did, actually," Finn says as a smile creeps onto his beautifully dark face, "barring the whole hospital thing, we haven't been together since her graduation in December, and it was nice to not see her face on a cell phone screen." 

 

"Oh I could imagine," Jess says as she takes a seat and pulls out her iPad and fires up her Sims app. It's been a few days and her people are probably all dying; she's a horrible ruler to her people. Looking up to Finn as it loads, damn hospital wifi, she continues, "how long has she been out for?"

 

"About 4 hours I would say," Finn says through a big stretch, "I've just been working on school and work since then."

 

"Damn kid, do you want me to go get you food or anything?" Jess thinks for a second of whether the food here is as good as its employees - probably not.  "I'm pretty sure the cafeteria food will do you more harm than good, I can find somewhere nearby and pick it up?"

 

Finn just shakes his head, shuts his laptop, and moves to stand up off his bed. "First of all," he says as he points a finger at Jess, "I'm pretty sure I'm older than you, so kid doesn't work. But if you don't mind taking over, I think I'm going to go stretch my legs for a bit," he says as he pulls on his coat and slips back into his sneakers. "You want anything if I find something good?"

 

Jess realizes that she hasn't eaten at all today and feels like a ravenous lion. Food is almost more important to her than breathing so she has no idea how she's gone this long without it. Wrapping an arm around her now rumbling stomach she replies with a nod and a grimace at her own stupidity. 

 

"I could eat a shoe right now, so yes. Literally anything you find I'll eat. And maybe some tea?" She finishes with a sweet smile that she knows always works on Poe, so maybe it will work on Finn too. 

 

Finn just laughs and makes his way out the door, calling back to Jess that he will bring her all the food his arms can carry for her. Rey made a good choice with having him as her best friend. There's something about having a boy best friend that makes life so much better. 

 

Jess takes off her Chucks and plants her feet up on the edge of Rey's bed and gets to work on her Sims. 

 

She's finished getting all her people back into the green zone and is killing off some seniors when Finn comes back, sweeping into the room basking in an assault of at least 4 different food smells. Jess is nearly moved to tears when she sees that Finn has, in fact, come back with both arms full of food bags. 

 

"They tried to stop me at the door so I had to bribe them with the Phó to let me through," Finn says with a groan as he places all the bags on his bed, "but I think the rest is a success. Dig in."

 

He finally turns around and sees that Jess is crying, literal tears are spilling down her face. He's about to panic as to why she's crying when Jess just starts to laugh and wipe away her tears. 

 

"Finn," she starts as she wipes the oh so attractive snot from her nose, "whoever you love someday is going to be the luckiest man alive."

 

"It's the least I can do for the person who's been taking such good care of my little Rey of sunshine while we've been apart," Finn says, dishing up a plate of Indian for himself and gesturing for Jess to dig in. 

 

"Little Rey of sunshine, huh?" Jess asks as she looks over Rey's sleeping form, "that's really fitting."

 

Jess goes for the big, flat box that shows promise of being pizza, and is greeted with the full glory of a mouthwatering meat lovers. She cries out in joy and does a little happy dance before returning to the box. She slides two healthy slices onto a leftover plate from Rey's sad cafeteria dinner and returns to her chair. 

 

She's finishing up the crust on her second piece when Rey begins to stir. 

The girl blinks her bleary eyes, which is way cuter than Jess can currently comprehend amidst her pizza coma, and looks back and forth between Finn and Jess. 

 

"Do I smell fettuccini and garlic bread?" Rey asks while sniffing like a bunny. Yep, this is it, goodbye world. Jess is gone. 

 

"Only the best for my best girl," Finn says as he pulls out a white styrofoam container which carries the pasta Jess knows Rey loves most. "Hungry?"

 

"Famished," Rey says with a nodding yawn, "cafeteria food sucks." 

 

She thanks Finn as he hands her the whole container, all three of them knowing how bottomless Rey's stomach becomes when pasta and garlic bread are in play. 

 

Rey turns to Jess, not particularly worried about being dainty, and speaks up with her mouth dripping in Alfredo sauce. "What did you get yourself into today, Jess?" Rey asked once she swallowed the majority of the fettuccini in her mouth. 

 

Jess went on a long winded, spark-noted report of her trials of the day while she sneaked another piece of pizza and bite of Rey's fettuccini, not noticing both Finn and Rey's jaws dropping at the list of activities. Once she found the tea she had longed for, she turned around and was stopped from her rehash of the weird dream she had during her nap by their faces. 

 

"What?" Jess says as she starts wiping at her face. "Is there something on my face?"

 

"You did all of that for me?" Rey asks in a shaky voice, small smile forming and tears beginning to fill her eyes. Jess is incredible and Rey doesn't know what she did to deserve her. 

 

"Why wouldn't I?" Jess asks, not understanding their shocked faces. Don't they know she would do anything for this girl? 

 

Rey holds out her hand for Jess to take and she does without question. 

 

"Thank you, Jess," Rey says with the softest, sweetest smile Jess has ever seen on that serene face and she swoons just a little. 

 

The girls hold each other's gaze for probably too long when Finn coughs and breaks them out of their trances. Jess holds on to Rey's hand for as long as she can and turns to Finn, who looks at her like he knows exactly what she feels for this beautiful girl and, well, shit. 

 

Rey let's go of Jess's hand when her nurse, Katie again, comes into the room and checks on her patient. 

 

"Everything is looking good, Rey," Katie says with a nodding smile. "Dr. Kalonia will probably check on you once more tomorrow morning and you'll be good to go."  

 

Katie turns to look at both Finn and Jess, and sees the piles of food. "Don't go too crazy on the food, Rey, vomiting with bruised ribs is no walk in the park," Katie states knowingly as she walks out of the room. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Gently rub warm coconut oil over the bruises each night before bed," Katie says as she helps Rey into the extra clothes Jess had brought for her this morning. "It's not the best medical advice I can give, but I just love coconut oil," Katie finished with a laugh. 

 

"Thank you for everything, Katie," Rey said as she hugged her sweet nurse. 

 

"You are very welcome. Now, if you feel any dizziness or lingering pain you come straight back, ok? I already told your friends what to look for so they can haul you back if needed."

 

Rey just smiles, knowing that she's lucky to have the two people she cares most for with her during this crazy mess of a situation. 

 

"I'd love to say see you around, but let's just hope it's not for this again," Katie says with a last squeeze to Rey's hand as she leaves the room. 

 

Finn and Jess come back in immediately, having waited outside the door for Rey's privacy, and Jess grabbed all of their bags while Finn walked close to Rey, just in case she needed help. 

 

They piled into the car Jess got so they didn't have to cab back to her's and Rey's apartment (that's going to take some time to get use to) and made their way through bustling New York. 

 

Rey, not one for hoarding, had barely anything to move besides furniture and clothing, so the movers were already finished moving everything in when the trio arrived. 

 

Helped along by copious amounts of tea and coffee, Finn and Jess unpacked everything and placed each of Rey's possessions wherever she wanted. Rey had fought to help in the beginning, but the two had shut her down from that tirade by reminding her she needed to rest. So Rey just sat on her newly reassembled bed and pointed in a general direction of where she wanted an object when Jess or Finn would hold it up to her. 

 

They stopped to eat lunch around 1 and lazed around for a bit after the finished, not ready to get back to work. Rey and Finn, those precious cinnamon rolls, fell asleep together huddled on the couch. Jess figured this would be the perfect time for her to make Rey her famous chocolate fudge cake as a homecoming present. 

 

The snoozing duo woke about an hour later to the divine smell of chocolatey goodness wafting through the air. Rey was well aware of what she was about to get to eat, but Finn had not yet the pleasure of eating such a perfect cake. 

 

Rey stood and then pulled Finn to his feet and dragged him to the kitchen where they were greeted to the sight of Jess dancing, back to them, and ear phones blocking out everything but the beat of her music. Rey and Finn both began to giggle at how cute Jess was but for what Jess lacked in vocal ability she gained in rhythm. Hot damn, the girl could move!

 

Jess began to turn around, swinging her hips seductively, and didn't even flinch when she caught sight of her audience. Never one to be embarrassed about the things she did for her own enjoyment, Jess danced on, pulling Finn into the kitchen and leading him in a dysfunctional tango. 

 

Rey could only smile and be filled with utter contentment as she watched these two people she loved dance and be happy. 

 

Finn finally showed his second left foot and crashed into Jess, ruining the whole show, but none of them could be sad about it. Jess finally pulled out her ear phones as they dissolved into heavy and happy laughter. 

 

"Good morning, you two!" Jess says, slightly out of breath. "The cake is almost done, I can tell that's why you're here, Rey. You're going to have to wait for it to cool though, so out of the kitchen!"

 

Rey put on an extremely convincing pouty face, but Jess wasn't going to give in. She shooed them again and they both stalked off to Rey's room to unpack more. 

 

Jess came in a little while later, three gigantic cake slices in hand and a jug of water tucked into the waist of her pants. 

 

"Help, please," Jess pleads, completely concentrated on not spilling the sacred cake slices. Finn bounds up from the bed and takes the two most precariously places pieces and hands one to Rey. 

 

Jess takes the bottle from her pants, throws it on the bed, and joins Finn and Rey. Jess and Rey both just watch and wait for Finn to take his first bite, knowing how life changing it was for them, and they want to experience it with him. 

 

The two girls smile mischievous smiles as Finn raises an eyebrow at them, but forks up a bite for himself nonetheless. His face does not disappoint. 

 

_"Oh my god."_

 

"We know," the girls say in unison, digging in to their own slices. All three of them were being utterly indecent with the sounds of blatant ecstasy tumbling from their mouths, but they couldn't even try to care, because, cake. 

 

There was a moment of silence as they all finished their pieces until Finn spoke up, "that was…"

 

"We  _know_ ," they replied again. 

 

*

 

The day carried on in the same fashion as before until they were completely done unpacking around 9. They were all sweaty and smelly and exhausted. 

 

Finn left to shower in Rey's bathroom, claiming he would be done quicker than either of them would. Jess stood to do the dishes from dinner before taking her own shower and Rey followed her into the kitchen. 

 

"Jess, if I wore a bathing suit into the shower, would you wash my hair?" Rey asked in a rushed voice. "It's just, I can't lift my arms that high, and I would ask Finn but I don't think he's ever touched long hair in his life, let alone wash it properly," she finishes with a laugh. 

 

Rey in a bathing suit. Soaking wet. This is going to be fine, Jess has _never_ fantasized anything like that, no way. 

 

"Yea of course," Jess said, surprised at the ease of her tone compared to the frantic beat of her heart right now. "Just holler for me when you're ready."

 

Rey smiled and turned to go change in her room. Jess leaned against the pantry and had to pull herself together.  _Come on Pava, you've seen plenty of pretty girls in bathing suits, you can do this._

 

Jess can't do this, how can she be expected to do this? She's going to have to though, for Rey. Everything is for Rey. 

 

Finn is sitting on the couch, scrolling through Netflix, when Rey calls out for Jess. She clenches her fists, takes a deep breath, and walks towards the bathroom (better known as her death). She pretends not to hear the snicker from Finn. He so totally knows how in love Jess is with Rey,  _great_. 

 

Jess knocks on the door and pokes her head around, "ready?" 

 

"As I'll ever be," Rey says with a sigh, and Jess walks in as Rey opens the shower door. 

 

Jess is saved from her death, barely, by Rey donning a one-piece bathing suit instead of a bikini. Rey noticed how Jess gave her whole body a look-over, and was glad she wore a one piece. 

 

"I-uh, I didn't want you to have to see my stomach," Rey said, ducking her head in shame. Jess wasn't having that at all and marched over to Rey, lifted her chin with a finger and gave her that penetrating gaze Rey loved so much. 

 

"Rey," Jess says, voice stern so she can get her point across to this soaking girl in front of her, "don't you dare be ashamed of what you look like because of him. You're beautiful, brave, and strong. You won this fight, not him, ok?" 

 

Rey pulled Jess into as tight of an embrace as she could, what with the injuries and all, at those words and tried very unsuccessfully to hold back her tears. Jess always knew exactly what to say, and Rey was so thankful to have her. 

 

Rey eventually pulled back and was mortified when she saw that her hurried embrace had soaked Jess as well. "Shit, Jess, I'm sorry," Rey said, trying to think of a way to remedy this disastrous situation. She was already embarrassed to have to ask for help showering, and now had gotten Jess sopping wet, and not in the intimate way she has fantasized about. 

 

"It's fine," Jess says as she runs a hand down her torso to assess the damage. "I figured I was going to get wet anyway, having to wash your hair and all." 

 

Jess, not shy about bodies, takes off her now wet, now useless shirt and throws it into the sink, leaving her in her workout leggings and a sports bra. 

 

Rey has to use every ounce of her acting abilities to keep her shit cool. It's the hardest thing she's ever done. Not only did Jess have the face of a goddess, but her suddenly bare torso and back look like they've been chiseled out by Zeus or whatever mightiest power there is themselves. Rey wants nothing more than to lick, suck, and bite every inch of bare skin she sees.  

 

Instead, she just runs her head under the water so she doesn't keep looking at Jess and fantasizing about things she has never done. Rey is obviously not a virgin, but she has only ever had sex with Ben, so she has no idea where to start with pleasuring a girl. It's something she should not be thinking about as Jess calls her back into the real world. 

 

"Are you trying to drown yourself in there, or are we going to wash your hair?" Jess says with a laugh. "Come here."

 

Rey nearly goes boneless as Jess lathers the shampoo into her hair, exhaustion hitting hard from the past few days, Rey begins to collapse and Jess catches her before she can fall too far. 

 

"Jesus, Rey! Are you ok? Are you dizzy?" Jess says after she sweeps Rey into her arms and sets her down on the sink, brushing suds back from the girl's eyes with a hand towel. 

 

First of all, damn that was hot of Jess to pick her up like that, and second, Rey's an idiot. 

 

"I'm not dizzy, I promise," Rey starts, closing her eyes and leaning back against the mirror. "It was just so relaxing to have you wash my hair and I'm exhausted so my legs just…stopped working."

 

"Geez, you scared the crap out of me," Jess shakes out as she leans her hands against the counter top. "Alright, though, we need to rinse out these suds, so I'm coming in there with you so you don't hurt yourself."  

 

*

 

After a very uneventful week of the trio vegging out on the couch, Finn finally had to leave, and the girls were left alone again. 

 

It was the end of June when Rey was finally given the go ahead to resume filming. 

 

"While I will never say no to free time," Jess says as she and Rey walk into the studio, "I think a month of laying around nearly killed me."

 

"I know what you mean," Rey replied with a grimacing laugh, "I don't know if I'm ready for the workouts we're going to have to do to get back into shape."

 

Jess just tilted her head back towards the sky and groaned, getting a laugh and nudge to the shoulder from Rey. It wouldn't be so bad, so long as they go through this together. 

 

Once they walked through those doors their lives became crazy, action-filled, press-filled nightmares. Rey hadn't thought much of the promotional aspects of acting in a large film, and she was heavily overwhelmed at what she was put through. 

 

*

 

"The way I think of it," Jess says next to Rey as they're getting their makeup done for a photoshoot, "is that I know it sucks right now, but it's so cool to see the final product. To know what kind of shit you went through to make that, and all of the people involved," Jess finishes with a smile to her makeup artist. 

 

"Yea, that's true," Rey laughs, "I just wish I could remember what we were taking these for? I lost track sometime last week of everything and kind of have been following you."

 

Jess stands up, having been given the 'all-clear' on hair and makeup, and walks over into Rey's line of sight. 

 

"Just stick with me, kid, I'll show you things that'll blow your mind," Jess says with a wink and pulls at one of Rey's curls. 

 

Rey just didn't happen to hear any of that, as she was still too much taken aback at how gorgeous Jess looks right now with her hair and makeup done. Rey thinks that Jess is obviously beautiful no matter what, especially when she wears no makeup at all, but she just looks downright edible at the moment. 

 

They had done a smoky shadow eye on Jess that accentuated their almond shape, put a shine on those plump lips that made them look just licked and wanting more, tousled her shiny black hair, and had her donn a low cut black and white shirt that could be easily ripped down the middle if need be. 

 

To this day Rey does not know how she didn't spontaneously combust right then and there. 

 

*

 

"Hey Rey," Jess says one morning after turning down her usual morning pick-me-up music, today featuring the Backstreet Boys, "we've got a week off after my birthday and Poe and I usually fly off somewhere. Do you want to go? Finn is welcome to tag along, I miss him."

 

"Where were you thinking of going?" Rey asks, not looking up from her damn Sims game that Jess had gotten her hooked on. 

 

"Well," Jess says after thinking for a few, "it's been a while since I've gone to Italy?" 

 

Rey finally lifts her head and grins wide at Jess, "pasta?" 

 

"Pasta," Jess replies with an equally wide grin, "and Italy is known for their cakes too."

 

"Count me in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because have you seen Jessica Henwick's photoshoot from Harrod's?


	8. Chapter 8

A month later Jess, Rey, and Poe found themselves sitting at the Naples airport, waiting for Finn's flight from London to come in. They had booked flights that landed around the same time as each other, but obviously they can't always win. 

 

On the flights over from New York, both Jess and Rey had gushed about Finn to a bored Poe. The girls were just so excited to see him again, it having been months, and Poe just wanted to drink cappuccinos and bake in the sand. Poe played the double role of Jess's best friend and manager, so he deserved this vacation as much as, if not more, than the girls. 

 

Sitting at baggage claim waiting for Finn, Rey and Jess were in a heated conversation about whether Mulan should be considered a Disney princess when they heard Poe mutter "holy shit."

 

They both turned to Poe, then turned to where he was gawking at, and both grinned. There was Finn, looking around the baggage claim, having not spotted them yet. 

 

"Finn!" Rey yells, bounding out of her chair towards her best friend, not giving two shits about the glares she was getting from the people around her.  

 

" _That's_  Finn?" Poe asked, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. 

 

"Oh, Poe," Jess said with a knowing tone, "you might want to close your mouth and come introduce yourself to Rey's best friend."

 

Poe just stared at her, with near fear in his eyes, but took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and walked over towards the bear-hugging duo. 

 

Once Poe and Jess had reached the other two, Finn let go of Rey and pulled Jess into a tight embrace of her own. 

 

"Thanks for taking such good care of our girl," he whispered, low enough that only she could hear. 

 

"You know I wouldn't have it any other way," she whispered back just as low, pulling away far enough to give him a wink and a sly smile, "come meet Poe."

 

Finn looked up to where Jess had gestured towards who he assumes to be Poe, does a double take, and clears his throat. 

 

_This is going to be fun_ , the girls think. 

 

"You must be Poe, I'm Finn," Finn says in his deep, lilting British voice, "Finn Storm. It's nice to finally meet you."

 

Poe grabs the hand Finn offers for a shake and reciprocates the greeting. 

 

"Shall we go?" Rey says in a high voice, breaking the two men out of the unabashed eye-fucking they were studiously engaged in. 

 

Both men stepped back, coughed, and agreed "yes" in unison. 

 

Jess hopes they rented a big enough house for this. She knew how loud Poe could be, and by the way her two boys had just stared each other down, they were so going to fuck this week. Hard. 

 

Maybe her and Rey should find another house completely. Maybe make some sounds themselves.  _Get it together, Pava_! You're friends, damn it. 

 

*

 

Jess wasn't getting it together. It was their third night in Sorrento, after a long day on the beach with copious amounts of wine, that Jess lay in bed and regrets the decision to go anywhere that allowed Rey to wear the bathing suit she wore today. 

 

She was reliving one of the moments when Rey had popped up from under water, slicked her wet hair back from her face, and walked up towards shore, hips swaying in the most tantalizing manner as she moved through the soft sand, when the girl of her thoughts knocked on her door and poked her head around. 

 

"Save me?" Rey asked as she slinked in through the door and shut it behind her. 

 

"What's wrong?" Jess asked in worry, sitting up and reaching out to Rey. 

 

"Finn and Poe had a little too much liquid courage, I think, and they finally broke," Rey said as she laid down on top of the sheets next to Jess. "They're in Finn's room, which of course is next to mine, and they're  _so loud_ ," she finishes with a grunt and arm tossed over her eyes. 

 

"I'm honestly surprised it's taken them this long," Jess says as she sits back against the headboard of her bed, "I thought they were about to start ripping each other's clothes off at the airport."

 

Rey laughed and flipped over onto her stomach, lifting onto her elbows and looking at Jess, almost looking like she wants to say something. Rey had plenty of her own liquid courage today, and might almost be brave enough, but decided against it at the last minute. 

 

"True," Rey finally said, "they just sound like they're challenging each other to see who can moan the loudest."

 

"Yea," Jess huffs, "at least they're getting some, though." Jess was a hopeless romantic at heart, and usually didn't like to sleep with random people. Sex was just better when you had a relationship, whether friendly or more. She wouldn't say that she had been saving herself, just in case, for Rey, but she just hadn't wanted anyone else. So here she was, 10 months completely sexless. While her two friends down the hall are banging like bunnies, and the girl she wants nothing more than to pleasure for hours on end is lying beside her, dressed, and- 

 

"Rey?" Jess asked warily when the girl looked away from her. Rey had had a look on her face that Jess had only known the girl to wear when she was thinking about Ben. 

 

"It's nothing," Rey said, turning back to Jess and trying to smile, but failed. "Can I stay in here with you for a bit until they're, uh, done?" 

 

Pushing away the urge to ask what's wrong, she just smiles sweetly at Rey. 

 

"Of course."

 

Rey never made it back to her room that night. After climbing under the covers with Jess, cold from her sun-burnt skin, she had fallen asleep before she could go check if the boys were done or not. 

 

Jess followed into slumber soon after, not bothered by sharing a bed with Rey. It's something she's grown accustomed to with Rey. The girl may not like touch from random people, but she just liked being near people in general. Jess wonders how the girl ever lived alone for so long when she obviously craved socialization. 

 

Jess was woken a few hours later by a kick to her thigh and a hand on her arm. Jess knew that Rey flailed in sleep every so often, so she just closed her eyes and made to fall asleep again when Rey began to mutter in her sleep. 

 

"N-no, please! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Rey was getting louder and she had started to thrash about the bed. Jess, who was now wide awake and panicked, started to shake Rey in hopes of waking her up out of her nightmare. 

 

"Ben, stop, I'm sorry! Stop!" Rey had tears in her eyes now and was still thrashing. 

 

Jess sits up and turns on the lamp next to her bed before reaching over to Rey. 

"Rey, Rey wake up!  _REY_!" Jess yelled with a shake which served to finally wake the girl up with a gasp. 

 

Rey stared, eyes wide at the ceiling and was breathing harder than Jess had ever seen. Jess reached a tentative hand toward Rey and placed in on the girl's shoulder. 

 

"Rey?"

 

"J-Jess," Rey gasps out as she curls towards Jess and dissolves into wracking sobs. 

 

Jess scoops the sobbing Rey into her arms and settles her into her lap while rubbing circles with a flat hand over her back. 

 

"Shhh, it's ok, Rey" Jess whispers soothingly, never stopping her hand on the girls back. "He's not here, Rey, you're safe. He can't get you. I won't let him get you."

 

Jess continues her litany of soothing phrases, mixed between rubbing Rey's back, giving the girl a squeezing hug, and kisses to the top of her head. 

 

Jess had lost track of how long it had been when Rey finally stopped crying and began to wipe her eyes. 

 

"Jess, I-I'm…"

 

"Don't even think about saying sorry, Rey," Jess said with a squeeze and pulls back enough to stare into the beautiful, cry-puffy face of the girl in her arms. Jess brings her hand up to Rey's cheek, looking back and forth between both of Rey's eyes to make sure they are tear free. "Do you want some water or tea or anything?"

 

"Water, please," Rey says with an aftershock of a sniffle. Jess slides Rey off her lap and tucks the blanket in around her like a cocoon before heading towards the kitchen and grabbing two water bottles. 

 

When Jess walks back into the room, she sees Rey wiping away silent tears. 

 

"Hey, come on Rey," Jess soothes as she hands Rey a water. "Do you want to talk about it? It might make you feel better."

 

Rey sits up to drink her water, chugging the bottle dry, then closes her eyes with a sigh. 

 

"It started like they usually do, just replays of everything he did to me," Rey starts, fingers clenching on the empty water bottle. "Then, it changed, and he started to hurt you, and I couldn't do anything to stop him. Over and over, it was like I was frozen and he just  _wouldn't stop,_ " Rey says the last part with a slump, looking totally defeated. 

 

Jess wraps her arms around Rey's shoulders and pulls her in as close as she can without having her on her lap again. "I'm ok, Rey. I'm right here, I'll always be right here and he will  _never_  get either of us, do you hear me?"

 

Rey doesn't answer, she just allows herself to be held by Jess. Jess, who just said she will always be there. If Jess is always going to be here, she should really know why Rey is so fucked up, why she is so scared. 

 

After a long silence, filled in Rey's mind on how she's going to tell Jess everything, she nods and pulls away from Jess. She pushes the covers off of herself and sits cross legged, facing a now confused looking Jess. 

 

"I do, I do hear you," Rey says, "and if you're up for hearing me too, I think I'd like to tell you what happened with Ben."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk of past abuse, if that bothers you.

Jess takes Rey's hand in her own, needing both to reassure and be reassured that they're both going to be ok. "I'm always here to listen, if you're ready," she finally says. 

 

Rey nodded, and took another deep breath, this isn't the shortest tale. 

 

"I was 17 when we met by a mutual friend, he was 18. Things were good in the beginning, he was sweet and I was so excited to have a boyfriend that I just went along with everything. We moved way too quickly, and he told me he loved me and wanted to marry me only a few weeks in. 

 

I was totally in bliss, having wanted to be loved for so long, that I told him I loved him too. I thought I was, I really thought I was in love. The whole time we were together." 

 

Rey couldn't sit down any longer, she had to walk around, step away from Jess's arms she knew would be there if she wanted to stop and cry into them, but she couldn't. She needed to get this all out. 

 

"People in love have sex, right? So we did, but we were limited. His parents were very 'no sex until marriage' people so we could only do it whenever they were gone, and that was rare since they were both retired. 

 

Every time we were alone and had sex, we were always afraid they would come home, so we had to be quick, which meant that it was for his benefit and not mine. Never mine. He wanted to marry me, he said once we were married it would get better. We would have the time to make it about me."

 

Rey was still pacing slightly around the room and went quiet for a few moments. Jess moved to sit on the edge of the bed, feet on the floor. 

 

"That's when things started to go downhill. The more and more we did it, the more and more he wanted it. Literally the second we would hear his parents car leave he was on top of me, trying to get me into it. I just wanted to spend some time alone with him without having sex for once, but he didn't agree. 

 

He would guilt trip me, saying that having sex was the only way he could relieve his stress and he was just  _so stressed_  lately that he always needed me. That if I said no, he would get blue balls and be in pain and make everything worse."

 

At this point, Rey had wrapped her arms around her waist and couldn't even look at Jess. Jess was shaking, seriously considering murder. 

 

"Well, I would say that I didn't feel like it that day and I just wanted to watch a movie or something and he would get so mad and just stop talking to me and wouldn't let me touch him or anything. 

 

Then I started feeling guilty after a while, wanting to be a good girlfriend, and try to console him and talk to him but that never worked. I either ended up giving in and sleeping with him, or I'd just wait for his parents to get home and he would have to stop sulking. 

 

We were about 9 months into our relationship the first time he hit me. His parents had gone to a movie and like clockwork, he was there asking for sex. I had a headache and wasn't feeling it at all, hadn't for a while with him, and he pushed me into the wall."

 

Rey leaned up against the bathroom door and ran her hands through her hair.  _You're almost done, Walker._  She hoped that getting all of this off of her chest would help her let it all go once and for all. 

 

"It only got worse from there, between me giving in and not giving in, up until right after our 1 year anniversary. A year!" Rey cried incredulously, now angry with herself at the stupidity of it all. 

 

"I stayed because besides the sex, and his anger issues, we had fun. His parents were the sweetest people and we would all do this together and his whole family was great, I loved it. 

 

His parents went away for a weekend, which gave us some time to take our time. I came over, expecting that we could catch up for a bit before we spent the time a little more intimately, but as it were, he was on me the second I walked in the door. 

 

We fought, I got some really good bruises, but eventually, I gave in. I gave in thinking we could take our time, maybe do some stuff for me, but that didn't happen. 

 

He fell asleep next to me and I just laid there thinking that if this is what he's going to do when we have a whole weekend of time, what would marriage be like? I hadn't told him I was moving to Massachusetts either, so I just packed up and left."

 

Rey walked over and silently asked for Jess's water bottle, and chugged the majority of that as well. She finally sat back down next to Jess, but not touching her or looking at her. 

 

"That was 6 years ago, nearly to the day, and I haven't done anything since," Rey said, turning her head to look as far away from Jess as possible. 

 

"Any time since then, if a guy has shown interest, I just think how they could turn out to be just like Ben. To just promise so much and then never give. To hit me if I didn't sleep with them. I feel sick to my stomach any time I guy says something suggestive, thinking that all they want is sex, and that it would just be painful and horrible like every other time. 

 

It was never good. It was so uncomfortable most of the time and the only foreplay we ever did was me sucking his dick, which only made the sex shorter."

 

Rey leaned her elbows onto her knees and clasped her hands together. She's so close to being done, and Jess is still here. Rey hasn't looked at Jess in a while, and can't yet. She has to finish or all her resolve will break if she sees that beautiful face right now. 

 

"I've just been so scared, scared that I will date another guy like that, and that's all I will ever get. They only sex I know has been horrible, and I know it's supposed to be amazing but I've never had that, so sleeping around has never appealed to me. 

 

At this point I'm practically a virgin, and I have no clue what to do if I were to sleep with someone now, and that just tacks more anxiety on because I want to be good for them too. I don't want to be this inexperienced girl that can't make it good for them, and they leave to find someone better." 

 

Rey stood up and paced about the room again. Jess knew everything. Well, nearly everything, minus the part where Rey is madly in love with her but afraid that Jess doesn't feel the same or that she's so inexperienced that Jess wouldn't want to waste her time with that. 

 

"I'm sure I'm missing stuff, but that's about the gist of it," Rey says, finally turning to stare at Jess, and Jess stares back. 

 

Finally, Jess slowly gets off the bed, walks to Rey, and wraps her in a soft embrace. In a loving embrace. 

 

*

 

Jess was speechless, to say the least. Rey thinks it's her fault that he did that, and she thinks that all men are like that when it is so not true. Jess has dabbled in the ways of guys back in her teenage years before going full gay, but every guy she had ever been with was not anything like Rey just described. 

 

Not only that, but she was speechless with how afraid Rey sounds about being intimate at all. It makes Jess sick to her stomach that Rey's only knowledge of sex is a years worth of pain and misery. Sex, making love, is so much more than that, more than just getting off and being done with it. It's about trust, feeling good, learning, growing, and being  _happy_. How to tell Rey this, though, she can't figure that out yet. She's still reeling over how Ben had treated her. 

 

So Jess just hugged her, silently, and brought her back to bed, silently, and cuddled her, silently, with no intent for anything more than to hold Rey close and never want to let her go. She wanted to make her feel so damn loved, whether it be as a friend or more. 

 

Jess couldn't even process the thought of making a move on Rey now. She's still so broken and afraid that Jess needs to focus on rebuilding her self esteem and views on relationships first. 

 

Rey was afraid that Jess would turn away from her, but Jess hadn't. She had just taken her back to bed to sleep, to talk about this later, to just hold on to each other right now. Jess always seemed to know exactly what Rey needed. Rey needed Jess. 

 

*

 

Finn, never the earliest if risers, knew something was up when he didn't see either girls awake before him in the morning, since they always were up at the crack of dawn. 

 

He enlisted Poe to help his search for either, maybe both, of them throughout the huge house. Honestly, why did four people need a 9 bedroom house? Whatever. 

 

Poe found them first, and called Finn over to look before waking them up. There they were, sprawled together in a tangled heap of limbs, sound asleep in the dead center of Jess's huge bed. 

 

"Think they had as fun of a night as we did?" Poe asked with a smirk. 

 

"Judging by the lack of nakedness," Finn says with a flippant gesture towards the heap of girls, "I'd say, sadly, no."

 

"Do you think they're in love with each other?"

 

"I  _know_  they are," says Finn as he shuts the door. They  _are_  all on vacation, and it looks like the girls aren't ready to wake up just yet. "Want to make bets on when they'll get their shit together?"

 

"The way Rey looks in a bikini?" Poe says with a 'I know I'm gay, but not blind' look. "By the end of this week."

 

"I say 3 months," Finn retorts as he flips on the espresso machine. "They're so oblivious."

 

"3 months? You're on."

 

* 

 

Rey wakes up before Jess, who has her held tight against her chest, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other strewn across her waist. Rey tries to pull back a little to look at the other girl's face, but Jess's sleepy subconscious held on tighter. 

 

Rey could stay there, in that moment, forever she thinks, surrounded blissfully in the comfort of Jess. Judging by how high the sun was though she knew they should get up soon. Rey wriggles her arm out from their tangled limbs and begins to lightly tickle Jess's side. 

 

"Jess," Rey whispers, "come on, Jess, time to get up."

 

Jess begins to stir, letting go slightly of her hold on Rey, and groans. 

 

"Just five more minutes, mom," Jess says as she stuffs her face into her pillow and pulls the comforter over her head. 

 

Rey breaks free of most of Jess's grip, sits up, and pushes the covers off of the pair of them. 

 

"Oh no you don't, we've already overslept enough. The boys are probably looking for us," Rey finished with a sly smile, thinking about how blissed out the boys are going to be this morning. 

 

Jess, unencumbered by blankets now, does a full body stretch, accompanied with a long and loud groan, before finally opening her eyes towards Rey. 

 

"They're going to be insufferable the rest of this trip, aren't they?" Jess says as she gets up and opens the window to let in a breeze. "Should we ship them off to another house?"

 

Rey laughs and stands to join Jess at the window, "I think it'll be ok, if they just move to a more secluded room and not next to either of ours."

 

"Mmm," Jess hums in agreement, deep in thought about how to bring up Rey's revelation from the night before. They stay silent for a while, both just staring out of the window into the mid-morning sunshine. 

 

"Rey, thank you for telling me all of that last night," Jess says finally, still staring out of the window. "I know it wasn't easy for you to relive, but I'm glad that I finally know the whole truth."

 

Rey just watches Jess, feeling as though the other girl still has more she wants to say and doesn't want to break through her speech. 

 

"I don't claim to be a sex or relationship guru," Jess continues on, "but I do know that not all men are like Ben, not at all. In my previous relationships, though they didn't work out, the guys were very sweet, very gentle, and had only wanted to make me happy.

 

I know that relationships and sex, or even just the thought of them, can be scary, but I just see potential."

 

Jess looks over towards Rey now, who is wearing a confused expression. Jess turns towards her and carries on. 

 

"I see potential for fun, love, happiness, commitment," Jess explains, "there is potential also for what you went through, which is scary. It's all scary, wanting to share your life with another person. 

 

I see the potential for  _more_. To be more than I am, to work hard to be a better person for whoever I'm with. To be able to make more food or buy more plane tickets or more shampoo and conditioner. I see more, and hope for more, because that means I have someone by my side, to love me and be more with me, and that's all I want."

 

Jess turns completely to Rey and grasps her by the shoulders. Jess needs Rey to hear this, coming from a friend that loves her and only wants to see her happy. No ulterior motive. 

 

"Rey, what happened to you breaks my heart, and I wish I could have done something earlier to ease your pain, but that's not how life works," Jess says, staring into those big, bright eyes that she loves so much. 

 

"You deserve the world, Rey. To have whatever you want, when you want it. You should be absolutely doted upon, and if whatever guy you date next doesn't, he's going to have hell to pay from me," Jess finishes with a wink. 

 

It hurts, a lot, to think that Rey will never want to be with Jess as  _more_ , but as long as Rey is happy, nothing else matters. As long as Jess can be friends with the girl forever, everything will be ok. 

 

"And about the sex thing, which I can totally see why you would be scared, but don't be.  _Everyone_  starts out not knowing what to do," Jess says, thinking vividly of how bad her first time had been, "so just communicate to whoever you are with, and I'm sure they will be more than happy to show you the ropes. 

 

It's fun and amazing, and if they aren't making you feel either of those, you have the power to leave. There will always be someone who can treat you better," Jess finishes and tucks in a stray piece of Rey's hair behind her ear. 

 

Rey tugs Jess into a tight hug and just stands there and sways for a while. "Thank you, Jess," Rey whispers into Jess's neck, "for everything." 

 

Jess just squeezes the girl hard, and lets go far enough to look at the girl. 

 

"Only the best for my girl," Jess says with that damn smile and winks. "Come on, the boys probably miss us."


	10. Chapter 10

Life got a tiny bit less hectic once they had returned from Italy, having finished filming months ago. Now was when they had to start doing press tours though and all sorts of meets and greets. 

 

Rey felt that each day that passed,  _something_  was going to happen with Jess, but so far nothing had. After Rey had confessed to Jess everything that happened with Ben nothing had changed in their friendship, but something felt different. It's been two months and she still can't figure out what it is yet. 

 

Finn had been visiting the girls (and Poe) for over a week and tonight was his last night so him and Rey went for dinner before she took him to the airport. 

 

"Rey, when are you going to get your shit together and make a move on Jess?" Finn finally asked. He doesn't get to visit much, or at all, but every time he does or whenever they FaceTime he can see how much the girls are in love with each other and can't figure why they haven't done anything about it yet. 

 

"It's not that easy, Finn!" Rey says incredulously. "What if she doesn't feel the same way and then I look like a complete idiot?"

 

"You're going to feel like a complete idiot when she reciprocates happily and you'll wonder why you took so long," he stated matter of factly. He's probably right, but she would never admit that. 

 

"I'm scared," Rey says, barely above a whisper. "I don't know how to be in a relationship, how to do anything."

 

"And what makes you think that could stop you, or her?"

 

"I…don't know."

 

"Exactly," Finn says, knowing he's won. Or so he thought. 

 

*

 

It had been two years since Jess last saw Kare, but over dinner and drinks the two girls fell back into their easy friendship they had shared before Jess moved to New York. 

 

Their friendship, before Jess moved, was one of mutual agreement: sex with nothing attached. 

 

So over too many drinks, talks of the good ole days, and with an aching need that hasn't been satisfied in over a year, Jess invited Kare back to her apartment to 'catch up more.'

 

Drunken Jess is a very horny Jess, so she should have known this was going to happen and stopped it before it started, but of course she didn't, because drunk Jess is also an idiot. 

 

They had tumbled onto Jess's bed in a passionate embrace, pausing only to remove articles of clothing piece by piece. Kare was sucking what would come to be a spectacular hickey when Jess started to push away. 

 

"Stop, stop, stop," Jess panted, her brain finally catching up with her libido. "I can't do this, I'm sorry," Jess finished, voice more calm. All Jess could think about was Rey, and how this felt like she was cheating and she suddenly felt disgusting. 

 

"Hey, I'm sorry," Kare says, "I know we said we would stop this, and I'm sorry I pushed you into it." 

 

"You didn't push me," Jess replied, breathing labored still from the panic of what would happen if Rey saw or heard them, "I just, I can't."

 

"I understand, Jess, it's ok," Kare says with a smile, pulling on her shirt she had discarded moments ago. "It was great catching up, keep in touch, yea?"

 

"Yea, definitely," Jess said with a nod, "but I'm really sorry, Kare. I don't mean to be a tease."

 

Kare walked back over to Jess and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "You never have to apologize for something like that. I would never make you do something you didn't want to, ok?" 

 

_Now_ that _is how it's supposed to happen if you don't want to sleep with someone_ , Jess thinks. Kare is amazing, just not as amazing as Rey. 

 

"Thank you, Kare," Jess says with a sweet smile, "I'll walk you out."

 

Kare just laughs and smacks a wet kiss to Jess's cheek, "I can find a door, Jessika. I'll see you around."

 

Jess at least gets up and follows her into the main room and waves as Kare walks out the door.  _You're losing it, Pava, you better do something about this before you go crazy._

 

As the fates would have it, Rey had just arrived on their floor when Kare walked out of the apartment, sad look on her face, hair mussed, and lips puffy like they had just been kissed. 

 

Rey was confused to say the least. She recognized the girl from one of the many photos Jess has strewn across their apartment, but didn't know her name. Rey felt a burning jealousy like nothing she's felt before as she stares at those kiss-puffy lips, but is confused as to why the girl looks sad. Who could be sad after kissing Jess? Even if the kiss was horrible, it's  _Jess_. 

 

The girl zipped up her coat, face still sad, and walked past Rey without a sideways glance towards the stairs. What did Jess do to make her sad?

 

Rey finally walked into their apartment to find Jess, shirtless, leaning against the wall with her hands over her face. 

 

"Jess?" Rey asked after Jess had failed to take notice of the door opening and closing. 

 

Jess jumped a little and then grabbed the wall as she swayed, eyes dazed. Rey jogged over and grasped her shoulders to hold her steady. "Jess are you ok? Did she hurt you?" Rey thought that it was possible that the girl had gotten too rough with Jess, and realized what she did was wrong and that's why she was sad. Rey remembers that sometimes Ben would be sad after he hit her too, though it didn't mean much for long. 

 

Jess just shook her head and put her hands on her hips, vaguely registering that she wasn't wearing a shirt. Whatever, Rey had seen her in less. 

 

"No, no she didn't hurt me. I probably hurt her more," Jess said as she closed her eyes. Shit she was drunk. 

 

"What do you mean?" Rey asked, slightly taken aback. Jess could never hurt anyone, could she?

 

"Kare, that girl, and I used to sleep with each other a long time ago," Jess started. Drunk Jess also doesn't hold to much preamble when she needs to provide information. 

 

Well that answered a lot of Rey's lingering questions. Kissing girls was one thing, Rey had kissed girls before, but sleeping with them was a whole different story. Jess was definitely at least bi then.  _Interesting_. 

 

Jess huffed out a laugh at the slight shock on Rey's face at the confession. "Yea I guess I never outright told you how blindingly gay I am, either."

 

Oh, ok, just gay then. Rey can work with that, she can  _definitely_  work with what. 

 

"Uh, nope, you definitely haven't," Rey says with a laugh as she releases Jess's shoulders, but keeps an eye out just in case the girl sways more. 

 

"Yea, sorry about that. And about this," Jess says as she gestures to herself and vaguely to the door. "We got a little too drunk, and I invited her back here in a daze but my brain caught up with me at the last minute and I stopped us before we got past complete nudity."

 

"Why?" Rey asked, actually curious this time around. Jess was a free woman, and while it hurt a lot to think of her with someone else, Rey had to admit that Kare was smoking hot 

 

Jess stared into Rey's eyes, well as much as a heavily inebriated person could, and looked for anything beyond legit curiosity. Finding none, she continued. 

 

"Her and I agreed long ago to stop. I'm not who I was back then, I don't like sleeping around for the hell of it," Jess says with fierceness in her voice. "All inhibitions fly out the window when I'm this drunk and it's been a long time for me and Kare was familiar, but it just didn't feel right." 

 

Rey can't feel jealous or angry anymore. Jess had stopped before anything happened and that's what matters. She would be lying if she said she didn't hope Jess stopped because she didn't want to do that to Rey, but no one needed to know that. 

 

Rey finally nods and does a look over of Jess. She's really drunk and is probably going to puke soon. This is going to be a fun night. 

 

"Alright drunk-o, can you stand here while I go get you water, Advil, and an ice pack?" 

 

"Ice pack?" Jess asks, looking at Rey like she's grown a second head. 

 

"Yes, ice pack," Rey says with a laugh, "you have a fantastic hickey welling up and we're on Ellen next week."

 

"Oh fuck me," Jess says in exasperation, reaching up to touch the tender flesh on her neck. 

 

Feeling saucy and daring in light of Jess's highly drunken state, Rey just winks and says "maybe later." 

 

_WHAT_

 

Jess doesn't know if her drunk mind just imagined what Rey said, but she knows that doing anything about it right now would not be proper. Maybe they'll talk about it tomorrow, or whenever Jess starts to breathe again. 

 

Rey comes back with two jugs of water, 4 Advil tablets, the dreaded ice pack, and two slices of lemon cake. This girl is amazing. 

 

Rey half walked half carried Jess to her room, helped her change, and was there to hold her hair when she started throwing up twenty minutes later. 

 

Jess woke up in her bed the next morning with a snarling hangover. She turned over to check her phone when she saw a water bottle, more Advil, a blueberry muffin, and a note from Rey saying she went for a run without her. 

 

Jess took a moment to think about the night before and thought about how well Rey had taken everything and how well she had taken care of supremely drunk Jess. Jess wanted to do something for Rey, and since her birthday was coming up, she had an idea. 

 

So she texted Poe to put her plan in action. 

 

From: Jessika 'Pain in the Ass' Pava

[We're going to throw Rey a surprise party for her birthday.]

 

From: Poe 'Hot Damn' Dameron

[Invite Finn, please.]

 

For being her best friend and manager, Poe is useless sometimes. But that's ok, Jess had a plan. Rey was going to see just how loved she was by everyone that met her. 


	11. Chapter 11

Jess was fangirling so hard right now. Yea, she's pretty famous and all that good stuff but she's about to meet  _the_  Ellen Degeneres, like come on. 

 

"Get it together, Pava," says Rey as she looks over at the pacing girl next to her, "I can't have you passing out on me out there."

 

"Rey, this is  _Ellen_ , come on!" Jess says, slightly affronted. How can Rey be calm right now?

 

"And Ellen is a person, just like us."

 

Jess was about to unleash her well-versed reasons on why Ellen was more than just a person when the stage hand told them they were on in two minutes. 

 

"Fuck, how's my hair?" Jess asked while patting down her body to check for any wardrobe malfunctions. 

 

Rey just laughed, this poor girl. 

 

"You look great, I probably look great, Ellen always looks great," Rey says as she throws a soothing, sweet smile at Jess, "it's going to be great. If you get nervous or flustered, just look at me and talk to me, ok?"

 

Jess could do that, she could definitely do that. She could always look at Rey, for like, the rest of her life. How was Rey better at this publicly stuff than Jess when Jess has been doing it longer? Oh well, no time to think now, they're walking out to the stage. 

 

Jess isn't nearly as antsy as she's thought she would be, not with Rey by her side. Jess, Rey, and Ellen ( _Ellen!_ ) exchanged pleasantries and talked a little about the teaser trailer that had just been released that day, and that's when it happened. 

 

"So Jessika I know you've been an actress for a while, and I love your work," Ellen starts and ok, Ellen likes her work. It's fine, this is fine. Jess can die happy now. "But Rey, you're brand new. What did you do before all of this?" 

 

"Well I didn't know if I would ever really make it as an actress," Rey started with a shy smile. She's so humble and sweet, and a  _damn_  good actress to boot. People are going to be blown away by her. "So I went to college first and got my masters in mechanical engineering so I could have a back-up plan." 

 

All Jess could do was smile proudly at this beautiful girl beside her. She was so amazing. Everyone had to love her. 

 

"Wow! That's amazing," Ellen says in true astonishment, "that's a lot of hard work and dedication to do that."

 

"Yes absolutely," Rey agreed, "it was hard but it was worth it to get where I am now," she finished with a winning smile at Jess. If Jess were standing she would have swooned. 

 

"And so did you always want to be an actress, Rey?" 

 

"Yea pretty much," Rey agreed, "an actress and a mom. I want to adopt kids and give them the life I never had."

 

Well that's something Jess didn't know. Of course Jess wants kids too, but they want the same thing for different reasons. Jess had a fairytale childhood and wants to adopt kids so she can give them the same. Rey never had a proper childhood, but knew what they should be like, and could support that style of upbringing now. It made Jess so happy to see Rey want to do that. 

 

"That sounds amazing," Ellen says sweetly, "nothing is stopping you!"

 

"No," Rey laughs and studiously avoids Jess's eye, "but I would like to get married before that. Have a family in the suburbs, you know?" 

 

"I kind of know it!" Ellen says with a laugh. Ellen is amazing, Jess loves Ellen. "So is there any lucky guy in your life then, Rey?" 

 

"Nope, or 'lucky' girl, for that matter," Rey says with a flick of her eyes towards Jess, who didn't see it, but Ellen did. Ellen breaks out in a Cheshire grin when she realizes it. "I mean, it is 2017 after all. Bisexuality is a thing."

 

Jess turns wide-eyed towards Rey. Did she really just hear that right? Did Rey just admit, on national television, that she was bi? Holy hot hell almighty.  _Rey is bi! Rey likes girls! Oh happy day_ , Jess thinks. 

 

Rey finally looks at Jess, who is looking at her again like she has two heads. 

 

"What?" Rey asks innocently. Oh this girl. 

 

"I didn't know that," Jess says, trying for a casual tone. She sort of succeeds. 

 

Rey just shrugs, "you never asked." 

 

_Fair point, Ms. Walker._

 

Ellen, ever the talk show host, carried the interview back on track and a few minutes later they were back in the dressing rooms. 

 

Jess had finished the interview in a daze, mind reeling and repeating over and over 'Rey likes girls, I might have a chance.' Why did she never just ask? It's been nearly a year of torment and she could have gotten this pining over with sooner? Geez, Pava. 

 

*

 

They were on their flight back from Los Angeles, and the in-flight entertainment was boring, so she wanted to talk to Rey. Well, she always wants to talk to Rey, but she was on a mission right now. 

 

"So, I'm reminding you so you don't forget this year," Jess says with a shit eating grin, remembering vividly how awesome Rey's last birthday was, even if the girl had forgotten it in the beginning. "But it's your birthday next week, is there anything you want to do?" 

 

"Umm," Rey starts, not looking up from Harry Potter, which she's rereading for the third time this year, "you know I don't really care. I just want that Cake." At the mention of the Cake, yes capital C 'Cake,' Rey gives Jess her favorite smile. Jess will literally make that cake every day for Rey if she would smile like that always. 

 

"Oh you'll have your Cake," Jess says with an eye roll, Jess will never deny Rey cake, "but I want to go play around town, sound fun?" 

 

"Like where?" Rey asks curiously. New York can be bloody cold as it creeps into December, so days were hit or miss and there comes a time, or certain degree Fahrenheit, where nothing is fun. 

 

"It's a surprise," Jess says with a wink, because it really is. Jess will need to take Rey out of the apartment for the day so the boys can set up for Rey's surprise party. Finn will be flying in the night before to help Poe, and to be Rey's partial birthday gift, of course. 

 

Rey had gotten Jess a Nintendo 64, along with a shit ton of Pokémon, Mario, Zelda, and Spyro games for her birthday months earlier. Jess had lamented to Rey when they first met about how her brother's shitty little friend had broken her prized 64 when she was a teenager and her parents never bought her a new one. Jess could totally afford to buy a new one, but had never gotten around to searching hard for a decent system that actually ran. 

 

When Rey had presented her with the gift, she cried into the girl's arms for a solid ten minutes, and then proceeded to kick Rey's ass at Pokémon Stadium. It was one of the best days of her life. 

 

Rey had proved to be a hard girl to shop for for a birthday gift. So sweet, so humble, and so into not giving Jess an answer had driven her mad. After the second time Rey had reread the Potter series though, Jess had the perfect plan, and didn't know why she didn't think of it sooner. 

 

"Florida or California?" Jess asked one day to Rey over their morning tea and coffee, Michael Buble serenading them in the background. 

 

"Sorry?" Rey asked, confused as all hell. 

 

"Just pick one."  

 

"California?" Florida had alligators, Rey wasn't down for alligators. 

 

"Ok," was all Jess said and went back to her iPad. Rey stared at her for a while with a raised eyebrow, but Jess didn't budge. She just sat there and bought the plane tickets, hotel rooms, and passes to Disneyland and Universal Studios. 

 

*

 

December 7th dawned cold, cloudy, and perfect. Jess had woken a little earlier than her normal morning routine as she wanted to start Rey's cake before the birthday girl woke up.

 

Jess threw on some fluffy socks and one of Rey's NYU sweaters she stole and headed for the kitchen. It felt like a jazzy morning, so Jess popped in her headphones and turned on Sinatra. 

 

While the cake was baking Jess went over the itinerary she had laid out for the day, checking to make sure everything was in order. The weather reports said they may see puffs of snow throughout the day and definitely into the night, but weather is shifty so she's never too careful. 

 

The timer dings and Jess pulls it out to cool, inhaling that sweet smell of the Cake she and Rey love a little more than is healthy, but whatever. Don't question a good thing. 

 

Knowing that the smell of this Cake always wakes Rey up, Jess takes out her headphones and puts the music on softly through the theater system. It's never a bad thing to wake up to jazz, Cake, and cloudy weather. 

 

After brewing some tea for herself and coffee for Rey, she got started on making Rey's favorite breakfast; blueberry pancakes with sugared strawberries on top. 

 

The birthday girl finally traipsed into the main room right as Jess ladled the batter onto the griddle. Wrapping the ends of Finn's hoodie she was wearing over her hands, Rey yawned and shivered at the cold of the ground against her bare feet. She should have worn fuzzy socks like Jess. 

 

"'Morning," Rey says with a cracked voice and a sleepy smile, "I smell Cake and pancakes."

 

Jess finally turns around at the sound of Rey's voice, and damn does she love this cute girl in front of her. Bleary eyed and smiling that delicious smile. 

 

"Birthday girl!" Jess says as she puts down the spatula and pulls Rey into a tight embrace, lifting her up and spinning her around. Rey yelps in surprise, but hugs back just as tight. 

 

"Happy birthday, Rey!" Jess says as she finally releases Rey and pushes her into her chair. She walks over to her Rey her coffee and then runs to grab the poor girl some fuzzy socks. Doesn't she know it's cold out?

 

Dishing out two plates of fluffy pancakes, Jess loads one for Rey with her fruit and pours a disgusting amount of maple syrup on her own stack like a proper human being. 

 

"Jess, you're the best, thank you for this," Rey says as she digs into her stack of pancakes and groans. Honestly, this girl loves anything that has 'cake' written in it. 

 

"Only the best for my best girl," Jess says with a proud grin. She's going to start having a food fetish if Rey continues those noises every time she eats one of Jess's creations. 

 

"So what's the plan for today," Rey asks casually once she's finished her breakfast. 

 

"Like I've said this whole week," Jess says in a mock admonishing tone and points a finger at Rey, "you'll know when we get there." 

 

Rey just sighs in defeat and Jess takes their plates to the sink. She's just putting them on the rack to dry when she hears 'New York, New York' start to play. Walking over to Rey, she holds out her hand like a proper lady, "a birthday dance for a birthday girl?"

 

Rey takes Jess's offered hand with a laugh, having been subjected to many impromptu dances when Jess hears a song she likes to move to. This time it felt different though, it felt so domestic, so right. 

 

Jess leads Rey into a slow and sloppy waltz, aided by the fuzzy socks on hardwood floors. They lock eyes as they begin to move, and Rey does something she's never done before; she sings. 

 

It's low, so low it's almost a whisper, but Jess hears it. It sends shivers from her head to her toes. 

 

_Start spreading  the news_

_I'm leaving today_

_I want to be a part of it_

_New York, New York_

 

_These vagabond shoes_

_Are longing to stray_

_Right through the very heart of it_

_New York, New York_

 

_I want to wake up in a city_

_That doesn't sleep_

_And find I'm king of the hill_

_Top of the heap_

 

Rey steps a little closer, holds onto Jess's shoulder a little tighter, and continues on, never breaking eye contact. 

 

_These little town blues_

_Are melting away_

_I'm gonna make a brand new start of it_

_In old New York_

 

_If I can make it there_

_I'll make it anywhere_

_It's up to you_

_New York, New York_

 

_New York, New York_

_I want to wake up_

_In a city that never sleeps_

_And find I'm a number one_

_Top of the list_

_King of the hill_

_A number one_

 

Rey moves just a little closer, hand moving towards Jess's neck. Jess slides her hand from Rey's waist to her hip, both girls being pulled into each other like gravity. 

 

Then Rey's eyes flick to Jess's lips. Is this really happening? Holy shit. 

 

_These little town blues_

_Are melting away_

_I'm gonna make a brand new start of it_

_In old New York_

 

_And if I can make it there_

_I'm gonna make it anywhere_

_It's up to you_

 

Rey stops singing, flicks her eyes to Jess's lips again, but then she slightly frowns and pulls Jess into a hug. The two girls sway to the end of the song, still in embrace, when Jess's phone rings over through the theater system. 

 

Both girls jump back away from each other, Rey backing away and mumbling something about getting dressed. Jess watches her leave, confused as to what just happened and why they weren't kissing like all the signs said they should be. 

 

Jess figures the call must be from Poe with some news about the party planned for tonight. Grabbing her phone and walking into the kitchen, Jess answers. 

 

"This better be important, Poe," she says grumpily. All she can think about is seeing a dab of sugared strawberry on the corner of Rey's lip that she wanted to suck off so badly she ached. 

 

"Hey I'm doing all of the work for you today," he replied with a hurt tone. He was right of course, he was doing a lot of work today, but he fucked up her chance. "I just wanted to verify a time of when Finn and I should be there."

 

"Depending if everything goes according to plan," Jess says with a glance towards the clock, "I'm going to say give it an hour."

 

"Alright, perfect. Is there anything else Finn and I should pick up?" 

 

"I'll text you, gotta go. Bye."

 

Jess typed out a quick list before she started with Rey's surprise day. She was so excited for today, she was going to give this girl the world. Having a stroke of genius at the last minute, Jess texts Poe one more request. 

 

From: Jessika 'Pain in the Ass' Pava

[Bring lots of mistletoe.]

 

From: Poe 'Hot Damn' Dameron

[Flawless plan, Pava.]

 

It is a flawless plan, Jess thinks. It's December, which means Christmas, which means mistletoe. You can't not kiss under the mistletoe, and Jess was going to make damn sure that her and Rey were under it tonight. If it's weird, Jess can just brush it off as what everyone's doing. 

 

If it's not, well then, her plan succeeded. 

 

Grabbing the first envelope of many, Jess heads for Rey's room to give the birthday girl her first set of instructions. 

Slipping the envelope under Rey's door and knocking twice, Jess moves down the hall to her room to get changed. 

 

Rey, still freaking out from nearly kissing Jessika fucking Pava only to go in for a hug at the last minute, jumped at the sound of the knock. She wasn't exactly sure how ready she was to face Jess. Could she contain herself?

 

She walked to the door, but before opening it she noticed the envelope and stooped down to pick it up. The only marking on the outside was in the top right corner on the front that read 1/5. Smiling, she opened the envelope, then smiled even harder when she read through the elegant scroll. 

 

_Hello, birthday girl!_

_Our first stop of the day is outdoors, and the weatherpeople say it's going to be a high of 28. They're filthy savages and I don't trust them._

_Bias aside, it's physical, so wear thick clothes that you can move in._

 

_*spoiler alert!* Our second stop is indoors so wear normal clothes underneath._

 

_Be ready to go in 15 minutes and meet me on the curb._

 

Rey was ready in 10 minutes, and after she checked to make sure Jess wasn't in the apartment still, she headed for the street. 

 

Jess was where she said she would be, right on the curb outside their apartment, holding a present. When Jess saw her walk out the front gate she smiled that megawatt, knee-weakening smile. 

 

"There's the birthday girl!" Jess said as she stepped up to Rey. "You were quicker than I thought, impressive. Here, and there's more later," Jess finished as she handed over the first gift. 

 

Rey smiled a shy smile, thankful that Jess wasn't acting weird about the 'near kiss' and thankful that she herself wasn't currently jumping onto Jess. 

 

"Jess you didn't have-"

 

"Nuh, uh," Jess says as she raises a hand in a 'stop' motion, "it's your birthday which means people will lavish you and that's what I'm going to do so just accept it."

 

Knowing there's no fighting with Jess on these things, Rey opens the first gift. Rey is moved to tears as she pulls out the yellow and black knit beanie and scarf, both representing her Hogwarts house that she's damn proud to be a part of.  

 

She might also be crying at the fact that of course Jess knew Rey would forget a beanie and scarf in her haste to get dressed. Jess was amazing. 

 

Pulling Jess into as close of a hug as she can with their big down jackets in the way, Rey burrows her face into Jess's neck and sniffles. 

 

"Jess, I love them so much," Rey says between sniffles, thankful for Jess's reassuring back rub. "Thank you." 

 

"Anything to keep my little Hufflepuff warm when she forgets how to dress properly for the cold," Jess says with a playful tug to Rey's hair. Wow, she can do that again, please, like a lot, harder. 

 

Rey finally lets Jess go and wipes away her super cute snot and tears. It doesn't phase Jess at all. She just pushes the hair out of Rey's face and puts the beanie on her, then wraps the scarf around her neck. Rey kind of looks like a bumblebee, but she's the cutest damn bumblebee there's ever been. 

 

"Ready?" Jess says and she lays her hands on Rey's shoulders. 

 

"Ready as I'll ever be."

 

"That's my girl, come on," Jess says and opens the door of the car that Rey hadn't noticed has been idling next to them. Rey hops in, followed by Jess, and they're off. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a really long chapter. I'm not sorry.

Once they had gotten close enough to their first destination, Jess pulled two tickets out of her pocket and handed one to Rey. 

 

"Ice skating at the Rockefeller?" Rey said with a wary look. "I've never ice skated before."

 

"I know," Jess said with a nod, "you've lived in New York for three years and have never done the most touristy thing to do in winter." 

 

"But, what if I fall?" 

 

"Just hold on to me," Jess replies to the nervous girl next to her, "I won't let you get hurt."

 

Rey nodded and accepted her fate. True, she really had always wanted to try ice skating, but she had just never gotten around to it. She's young, agile, and athletic so it should be  _that_  bad. 

 

Ice skating turns out to be amazing. After Jess had laced up Rey's skates for her, then her own, she held Rey's hand and arm as the birthday girl walked wobbly-ankled to the rink. Very tentative at first, Rey held onto the rail with one hand and grasped Jess's hand in the other. 

 

Jess was a natural, but she did have some help from figure skating lessons when she was 9, so she just glided around the rink with Rey, making sure the girl never fell. 

 

After a few circles around the circumference of the rink, Rey finally felt brave enough to let go of the rail. Jess then had let go, much to Rey's chagrin, to skate backwards in front of Rey. 

 

"That's it," Jess soothed, "just push and glide, use your arms and hands to balance." Rey was getting the hang of it pretty well, so Jess felt confident enough to leave the girl for a moment and do some quick laps around the perimeter to get her heart pumping. 

 

"Will you be ok if I leave you for two seconds?" Jess asked. 

 

"Probably?" Rey replied, looking not confident at all. Eh, she's got a lot of padding if she falls. 

 

"Ok, watch this," Jess replied with a wicked grin, spun around, and took off like a bullet. She did two laps at top speed, utilizing the fact that no body else was there on a Thursday morning. Wanting to show off a little bit, Jess flipped around as she passed Rey and did a lap completely backwards before coming up to a stopped birthday girl and doing a lazy twist. 

 

"Show off," Rey huffed, grabbing back onto the rail. Poor girl was out of breath, not used to the use of certain muscles. 

 

"Don't you know it," Jess replied, panting, and winked. "Alright, you ready for phase two?"

 

Deciding just to roll with whatever Jess had planned today and not question any of it, Rey became excited at the adventure. 

 

"Yes!" She said excitedly, leaning against the railing to support her aching calves.  _Ice skating is tough!_

 

"That's what I like to hear," replies Jess with a huge grin and takes Rey's hand to 'help' her back to their shoes. Jess really just likes holding Rey's hand, but no one needs to know that. 

 

Finally getting back to the benches where they discarded their shoes, Jess helps Rey unlace the skates this time then goes to pull off her own. 

 

"Oh my goodness, what's this?" Jess asks in a mocking shocked tone, holding up an envelope that she just pulled out of her right ice skate.  _When did she get that in there?_ "I believe this belongs to you," Jess says as she hands Rey the envelope and takes their skates back to the rental booth. 

 

Rey takes the envelope, marked only by a '2/5' in the top corner, and opens it for her next instructions. 

 

_Ready for a magical time?_

_Hurry up and come to the car, it's cold._

_Next place is warm, so take off your jacket, but keep the scarf._

_Do you trust me?_

 

Laughing at how ridiculously fun this all is, Rey gets up and walks towards the car where Jess is waiting with another gift. Honestly, where is she getting all this stuff from?

 

"Climb in birthday girl, it's cold," Jess says as she hands over the present, smaller than the last, and gestures inside the car door. 

 

Rey removes all of her bulky clothing and waits for Jess to do the same before she opens the gift. Opening it, she's confused to find  _The Cursed Child_ , a book Jess knows she already owns. 

 

"Look on the inside," Jess says when she notices Rey's confused look. 

 

Rey stops breathing when she looks inside.  _No fucking way._  

 

"No fucking way." Rey says in astonishment when she finally finds her breath. "Jessika, how?"

 

Rey slides gentle fingers over the inscription inside the book. The book that carries a personal message and autograph from none other than JK Rowling herself. Rey is shaking in awe, she fucking loves Harry Potter. 

 

After telling the driver it was time to go, Jess turned to a shaking Rey with a smile. "Well, I sent her an owl a while back," Jess says with a wink, which earns a laughing sob from birthday girl, "and I expressed your undying love for Potter, and here we are!" She finishes as she gestures to the book in hand, the book that Rey never wants to let go of. 

 

"Jessika, thank you, I don't know what…I'm just so happy," Rey says as tears keep cascading from her eyes. 

 

"You're welcome," Jess replies with a sweet smile, "now do you remember what he envelope said?"

 

Rey wipes off some of her tears with the back of her hand, nods, and lifts up the Hufflepuff scarf. 

 

"Do you trust me?" Jess asked with more weight and fierceness than was technically necessary for the situation. 

 

"Yes."

 

"Ok, well the next place is very secret," Jess says in a conspiratorial whisper, unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding closer to Rey. "So I'm going to blindfold you until we get there, ok?"

 

"Do what you must," Rey says in resignation. She  _did_  decide to let happen what will happen today. 

 

Jess ties the scarf around Rey's eyes, then waves a hand in front of her face to make sure that Rey can't see anything. She then buckles herself into the middle seat next to Rey since it's kind of scary to be blindfolded while driving and she wants to be right there if Rey needs her on this ride. 

 

The driver takes corners a little quick which forces Rey, who can't see or anticipate turns, to be thrown into Jess every time. Jess thinks it was a great idea to sit in the middle. 

 

They finally reach their destination, Jess unbuckles Rey's seatbelt for her, and they climb out of the car with Rey still blindfolded, which earns a few looks, but who cares?

 

Jess keeps Rey blindfolded until they are inside the foyer of the building. Jess halts Rey, tells her to stay here and  _don't peek_ , while she goes and talks with someone. 

 

Jess is gone no more than 45 seconds and then comes back, grabs Rey's hands, and leads her further into wherever they are. 

 

"Ok, you ready?" Jess says excitedly, hands planted on Rey's shoulders. 

 

"Yes!" 

 

She felt Jess move behind her and untie the scarf. She was dazed for a moment, eyes trying to adjust to the low light, and gasped when she saw where they were. 

 

"Jess, what? How?" Rey asked in disbelief. This day has so far overwhelmingly amazing, but this just puts it at unbelievable. 

 

Rey is standing in the middle of a massive theater, which is completely empty save for herself, Jess, and a few people working on the stage lights. 

 

The stage itself, however, is decorated perfectly and completely for the production that will begin to run in this theater next month:  _The Cursed Child._  

 

Rey is freaking out.  _The Cursed Child_ had previously only played in London, but she had heard word that they were going to run a one-month show in New York come January 2018, but tickets had sold out before she could even get a nosebleed seat. 

 

Jess smiles a knowing smile at the overwhelmed girl. She is getting so much enjoyment out of making Rey happy, she could do this forever, honestly. 

 

"I had thought about taking you to London," Jess started with a shrug, "I know you tried so hard for tickets for this, but I know one of the producers here and he owed me a favor." At that, Jess turned and waved to a man that Rey had not seen previously in the corner. 

 

"This is just one of their many rehearsals, so it may not be perfect, but whatever," Jess finished with a smile to the stage. 

 

'May not be perfect' meant that maybe a toe might go where it shouldn't. Theater was all about perfection, and Jess knew that this rehearsal would be perfect. 

 

Jess gestured, arms making a 'V' above her head, to the whole theater of empty seats. "The seating choice is limited," Jess said with a fake furrowed brow, "but we will have to make due with what we can get." 

 

Jess was not ready for Rey's body slamming full force into her own in the tightest hug Rey had ever given her and she had her breath knocked straight out of her in a 'oof.'

 

Not that she could ever care, though, not with Rey. 

 

"You are the best ever, Jess," Rey says into Jess's neck, "I don't even know what to say or think right now." 

 

Jess just grins and squeezes Rey tighter, if possible. 

 

"Don't think, now pick a seat!"

 

Rey took no time at all in marching down to the 7th row and claiming the two most middle seats. 

 

"I like sitting far enough back," Rey whispered, their voices echoing loudly in the acoustically perfect room, "but close enough forward, to be able to see everything at once in the most detail."

 

Jess watched Rey, completely unashamedly, while Rey gazed in wonder at the stage which was starting to come alive with movement. When the lights dimmed and the curtains raised, Rey squealed and grabbed Jess's hand and held tight, eyes locked on stage. 

 

Jess had a hard time paying any attention to what was going on in the show, too distracted by Rey and her elation and responsiveness to the play. 

 

That beautiful, emotive face was all the story that Jess needed. She also couldn't be mad when Rey would gasp and grab the closest body part on Jess she could find. Hand, arm, thigh, upper thigh…yea that last one had caused Jess to hyperventilate, but sweet Rey of course didn't notice a thing. 

 

"This is amazing!" Rey whispered loud and excitedly when it came time for intermission. They had 15 minutes until the next part started since apparently they take shorter intermissions when it's just rehearsals, as no guests were there to buy merchandise and shit. 

 

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Jess said with that damn smile. 

 

"I am! This is the greatest thing ever," Rey said with a dreamy smile towards the stage, but then looked back at Jess. "Are you having fun?"

 

Jess was with Rey, how could she ever have a bad time when she was with this girl?

 

"Absolutely," Jess said with a fierce nod, which earned a glorious, dimple-ridden smile from Rey.  _Swoon_. 

 

The next act had left Rey in the same expressive, grabby mood as the previous one had, and Jess was so on edge from all the touching that she wouldn't have known it was over unless Rey had jumped up and started clapping and sobbing. 

 

Jess doesn't even know if that's even a thing to do at a rehearsal, to clap even though you're the only ones there, but who cares? Rey is clapping, Jess is going to clap. 

 

They're walking through the foyer when someone calls Jess's name, and they both turn to see a man jogging to catch up with them. 

 

"Hey, I figured you guys might want some souvenirs," the man says as he hands the show's playbill to both Rey and Jess. 

 

"Awesome!" Jess said enthusiastically, turning and gesturing towards Rey. "Snap, this is Rey. Rey, this is Snap," Snap waved and winked at Rey, he's sweet. "Snap is the one who got us in here," Jess finished with a winning smile towards the man. 

 

"It's nice to meet you, Rey. Happy birthday, by the way," Snap says as he shakes Rey's hand. "Listen, ladies, I've gotta run but it was good seeing you!" 

 

"Thanks for everything, Snap. Bye!" Jess calls, as Snap had already turned and began walking away. 

 

Jess turns back to Rey and smiles, but then opens up to read inside the playbill. 

 

"I always loved collecting these things," Jess says as she flips through the pages. Rey mimics her as they walk to the door, but stops when she opens the front page to find her third envelope.  _That sneaky little…_  

 

Rey looks over at Jess, who is wearing a triumphant grin. 

 

"You think you are so damn clever, don't you?" Rey asked with a laugh as she hops in the car before opening the envelope. 

 

"I know I'm clever," says Jess with a confident air, "there's a difference." 

 

Rey just laughs at Jess as she begins to read the third instruction. 

 

_Keep the jacket off, but I hope you wore loose pants._

_That's really all the clue I'm giving, just let your mind wander._

_Also, look behind you_

 

Rey looks behind her in the back seat, sees nothing, and continues on

 

_Just kidding it's in my hand_

_Wear one or the other_

_Don't argue._

_Choose wisely_

 

Rey shakes her head and huffs as she falls for Jess's trick, but can't help to love how far Jess is going to make Rey have fun. In Jess's hand is a box roughly the same size as her first gift. 

 

She opens it to find brand new Chucks and a pair of amazingly soft fleece lined leggings. 

 

"There's nothing wrong with my shoes!" Rey argues with a pout. It's her birthday she can break the rules if she wants. 

 

"Have the instructions lead you wrong yet?" Jess asks, one eyebrow raised, but answers for Rey anyway. "No, they haven't, so follow."

 

Rey glares, without malice, at Jess before choosing the leggings. There is nothing wrong with her shoes. So what if they have holes on the side where they bend when she walks? That's never hurt anyone. 

 

Jess holds a jacket over Rey's legs as the girl changes so their driver doesn't get Rey's goodies on full blast. Jess studiously avoids looking even though she's seen Rey in her underwear and in bathing suits many times. Rey has just been very touchy-feely today and Jess is already on edge from it all so bare legs might push her over and she has a schedule to get to today. 

 

Rey is lacing up her perfectly fine shoes when the car stops in front of a restaurant.  _Thank god, I'm starving_ , Rey thinks. 

 

Nothing really spectacular happens at lunch, but it's perfect. It's an Italian restaurant, of course, and they overindulged  _way_  too much.  _This_  was perfect, Rey thought. While everything they had done previously was absolutely amazing and Rey loved every minute of it, she loved quiet moments like this with Jess much better. 

 

"You were right," Rey said with a groan as she slouched down the bench at their table, stomach nearly bursting full. Rey had worn skinny jeans earlier before changing into the leggings Jess had gotten her and had to praise the girl opposite her for her thoughtfulness. Jeans would have been death right now. 

 

"I usually am," Jess replied with a smile, eyes closed and in the same slouched position as Rey. Jess had been smart from the beginning, though, since she knew what was happening that day. Jess had worn yoga pants from the beginning, which had been just fine for Rey because come on,  _have you seen Jess's ass? My lord. She's a goddess._

 

Rey huffed, "these leggings have saved me so much pain." 

 

"Leggings are always the answer," Jess says as she sits up and groans. "Want the dessert menu?" 

 

"What kind of question is that?" Rey asks affronted. It's like Jess doesn't even know her. Jess laughs as she calls a waiter over and asks for dessert menus for both of them and two cappuccinos. 

 

Opening the menu the waiter had handed her, Rey plucked out her fourth envelope with a grin, glancing over to Jess and seeing an equal grin on her face. 

 

"You know," Rey began as she opened the envelope marked '4/5,' "I'm starting to get sad knowing there's only one more sneaky envelope of rules."

 

"I can leave you envelopes telling you to pick up your socks when you leave them in the hall?" Jess says with a face failing to look stern. 

 

"Deal," Rey agrees. Anything Jess will do for her she wants. Shaking her head out of thoughts of picking up previously discarded clothing in the heat of passion making their way down the hall, Rey reads the fourth instruction. 

 

_This one will be a wild ride_

_And cold_

_Put your jacket back on_

 

_P.s. I know I'm always right_

 

Questioning the last line, Rey looks up at Jess curiously. The other girl just shakes her head. "You'll see," Jess says, smiling as the waiter brings them back their gelato they don't know why they ordered in this cold ass weather. The moment they finished, Jess stood up and beckoned Rey to follow. 

 

"But we haven't paid," Rey says matter of factly. She doesn't dine and dash, that's just not right. 

 

"I paid," Jess says with an eye roll. They usually split the bill anytime they eat out just to avoid the 'it's my turn, no it's my turn' game, but it's Rey's birthday. She's taking care of everything. "Andiamo," Jess orders Rey again in Italian, having learnt it during their time in Sorrento.

 

They pull up to Central Park and start to put on all of their warm clothes on in the car. Their driver finally gets out of the car for once, opens the trunk, and proceeds to pull out a gift bigger than Rey could have thought fit in the trunk. 

 

Mouth dropping, she looks over at Jess who is having trouble with her parka's zipper. "What have you done?" Rey asks incredulously. 

 

Looking around with a confused look, pausing in her zipper troubles, Jess just says, "huh?"

 

"What the hell is in that thing?" Rey asks as she points at the present the nice driver is struggling valiantly with. 

 

"Well you're just going to have to open it to see, birthday girl," Jess says with an 'ahhh' as she finally gets the zipper to cooperate. 

 

Rey accepts her fate of the gift, pulls on her new beanie and scarf, and hops out of the car into the freezing cold. 

 

Jess nods at their driver when she steps out of the car and he retreats gratefully back into the warm cabin. 

 

"I'm scared," Rey says as she starts tearing the wrapping paper off the box that comes up to her waist. Jess just crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows with a nod back towards the box in an obvious  _'open the damn present, Rey_ ' gesture. 

 

"Fine, fine." She opens the box to find two sleds and two fluffy things, one brown one green. Pulling out the fluffy things, she sees that they are actually backpacks, in the shape of Yoda and Chewbacca. 

 

Rey squeals. "Oh my god look at Yoda!" She exclaims as she lifts him into the air like a toddler. "I can be Luke Skywalker and pretend to train with him on my back!" 

 

"Good, because I want Chewie anyway," Jess says as she grabs the miniature wookie from Rey's elbow. 

 

"Hey! Aren't they mine?" Rey says with a mock pout,  _like she wouldn't share the world with Jess_. 

 

"Are you going to wear both at once?"

 

Rey sticks out her tongue in a reply. Something about the sleds and Star Wars characters backpack made her feel like a child again, but happy this time. So if she felt like a child, she would stick her tongue out like one. 

 

"Exactly, so let's leave them in the car," Jess says as she goes to grab Yoda, "and we will write up a custody agreement later."

 

"Why can't I wear him now?" Rey asks with a true pout and  _hot damn_  that's cute as hell. 

 

"Because they'll get ruined if they get wet?" She's contemplating this whole sledding thing right now with how cute Rey looks being sad she can't bring Yoda with her. 

 

"I promise they'll be here when we get back," Jess says with a sweet smile and Rey just sighs and hugs Yoda before placing him inside the car. That girl is too damn sweet for this world. 

 

"Ok, let's go!" Rey says as she finally shuts the door, looking excitedly at Jess with a big grin. "I've never gone sledding before!"

 

"I figured as much," Jess replies, "we're going to be sore but it's going to be worth it."

 

It turns out to be worth it, worth it so much. It's practically picturesque, to be honest. As Jess sits Rey down for her first run down a small hill, light fluffs of snow spiral down around them, coating them with sprinkles of powder. Rey takes a moment and tilted her head back to watch the snow fall and Jess stops breathing, having never seen Rey look so carefree, so beautiful, so alive. Then Rey sticks out her tongue, catches a snowflake, and drops her gaze to Jess, who is so mesmerized by this girl that she doesn't even care she's staring anymore. 

 

Some of the best memories of your life will stick with you, sight engrained in your brain forever, and Jess knows that right there was one of those moments. 

 

"I'll be right behind you," she says after a moment too long, "just look where you want to go and that's where you'll go!" Jess says as she gives Rey a push off. 

 

Rey screams the whole way down, it's way faster than she ever would have thought, and she loved every second of it. 

 

The girls spent a few hours, running up different hills to see what their slopes had to offer, and walked back to the car way past sunset. Soaked to the bone, completely numb, but exhilarated beyond belief they tumbled into the hot car and sighed simultaneously.

 

Jess grabbed a big bag from the front seat of the car as the driver got out and stood, facing the street, right outside the door. 

 

"Here," Jess says as she hands Rey back her jeans and pulls a shirt and sweatshirt out of the bag for Rey. She then finds some clothes for herself and they spend a good 10 minutes trying to peel the frozen, wet clothes off in the back seat of this car that's now proving to be smaller than it should be. 

 

Jess at last pulls out two pairs of socks and hands one to Rey. 

 

"How are your shoes?" She asks with a smirk. 

 

Rey looks utterly defeated, "I hate to admit it, but you were right. They are soaked and trashed," Rey says as she picks up a sopping wet, torn shoe and drops it. She grabs the new shoes and slips them on, smiling wide. 

 

"I'm starting to think you're a magician, Jess."

 

"I'm just that good," Jess replies with a wink. The driver climbs back into the car and pulls out into the lovely Thursday evening rush hour traffic. 

 

For the first time, the driver speaks up. "It'll probably be about an hour before we arrive at the location Ms. Pava, would you and Ms. Walker like to watch something in the meantime?" 

 

Jess looks over at Rey and shrugs in a 'your choice' motion. 

 

"Sure," Rey says as she snuggles closer to Jess, you know, for warmth, "we've got nothing better to do."

 

"As you wish," says the driver and hits a button that opens a slot, containing a screen, in the ceiling that Rey had not previously seen. Once the screen was dropping just enough, the last envelope tumbled out from in between, and floated down into Rey's lap. 

 

Rey's tinkling laugh made all of Jess's inside light on fire. 

 

"Your ingenuity never ceases to amaze me, Jessika," Rey says as she opens the last envelope. And oh how Jess loves when Rey says her full name like that. 

 

It's the shortest instruction of today's festivities, but it's probably Rey's favorite. 

 

_I'm out of clever things_

_Let's go home and eat Cake_

 

Rey's glad it's night out now, because she starts to cry. Although this whole day had been amazing, absolutely perfect in fact, what she loved most was that they were going  _home_ , to  _their_  apartment. Rey had never known what 'home' truly felt like until she moved in with Jess. 

 

And of course, Cake. 

 

Rey knew Jess could hear her sniffles, but the girl never said anything, just leaned on Rey's shoulder as they watched something on Netflix Jess had picked at random. 

 

It was a good thing that Rey wasn't nosey, or else Jess would never have been able to text Poe that they were almost back to the apartment and that they all needed to get into position.

 

She was nervous, she had never done this before and she hoped it all worked out. Rey usually unlocks the door and walks in first anyway when they come home, so at least she's got that going for her. She just hopes that Rey likes her surprise party. 

 

Rey was so deep in thought about the days festivities when she opened the front door and walked into the foyer, that she damn near passed out when the lights flicked on and she found her main room to be filled with people yelling "SURPRISE!" 

 

Hand to her heart and stumbling back, Rey was caught by Jess who smiled that damn smile at her. "Surprise?" Jess said with an undertone of apprehension. 

 

Rey was overwhelmed to say the least. There were so many people here, so many faces she's come to know and care for this past year working with all of them. There was a face missing that she wished would be there, but she couldn't be too bothered by that thought right now, not with all of these people in front of her and Jess by her side. 

 

Tearing up, smiling wide enough for those dimples to appear, Rey wraps Jess into a hug. "Thank you, Jess. For all of this. I don't know how-"

 

"Damn, did I miss the big reveal?" Finn called loudly over the crowd, grinning widely at Rey. Jess released Rey knowingly, letting the girl run to her best friend. 

 

"Finn!" Rey yelled as she ran over to him and jumped into his outstretched arms, hugging him tightly enough to make him wheeze. "I thought you said you couldn't make it out this winter?" Rey says, slightly muffled by being stuffed into Finn's familiar neck. 

 

"I mean, technically it's not winter yet," Finn replies with a wink, then leans in to whisper into her ear, "Jess is very sneaky when she wants to be."

 

"Jess?" Rey whispers back curiously. 

 

"Yea, Jess," Finn replied with warmth, hugging her tighter, "all of this was her, except the decorations," he finished as he released Rey and gestured to all of the decorations around the apartment. "Poe and I have worked diligently on this all day so don't ruin it," he finishes with a smile as Poe walks over and starts the long line of hugs and 'happy birthdays' to Rey. 

 

It takes a while for Rey to make it through the hoards of people, making sure to stop by everyone and thank them for coming tonight and tell them how much it means to her. Every so often someone will toast to Rey and everyone will take a drink of whatever they have in hand at that moment, but Rey hardly partakes. This isn't a night to get drunk on, she wants to remember this day forever. 

 

The night drug on as people started to filter out. It wasn't that late, but it was a Thursday and most people had jobs to go to in the morning unlike the girls who were on a promo hiatus. 

 

There were only a few people left, Poe and Finn included, when Jess finally found Rey again. They had both been popular tonight and were pulled apart from each other, only being able to smile or wink at each other when they locked eyes from across the room. 

 

"Time for Cake, birthday girl!" Jess sing-songed as she pulled Rey into the kitchen. "I hid it so only we could eat it," Jess said in a whisper, looking around to make sure no one found her hiding spot. 

 

"I resent that!" called Finn from far away which cause both girls to giggle. 

 

"Thank god," Rey sighed as she stared longingly at the Cake, "I thought you had forgotten about it."

 

"I would never forget the birthday girl's Cake, Rey!" Jess says as they both dig into the slices Jess had plopped onto plates moments earlier. They ate in silence, the only sounds breaking through being the usual moan or two for how ungodly good the damn thing is. 

 

"Here," Jess said as she handed Rey the jug of milk from the fridge, "put this back, please, while I cover the Cake." 

 

Rey took the jug and opened the fridge, only to find an envelope hanging inside. 

 

"Jess," Rey asked curiously as she plucked out the envelope, "I thought there were only five envelopes?" Jess just leaned against the counter and smiled. 

 

"This one isn't an instruction," she said as she nodded for Rey to go ahead and open it. 

 

Rey was going to die, right here, right now, she had decided. Inside the envelope was an itinerary for flights, hotels, park passes, and other fun things to do for two weeks in California.  _So_ that's _why Jess asked all that time ago about Florida or California._ Jess was taking her to California, to Harry Potter world and Disneyland and all of these other amazing places. Jess was amazing. 

 

Rey hadn't said a word this whole time, just staring at the last present and thinking back on everything Jess had done for her today. How everything had tied into each other perfectly with all the magic and Harry Potter references and the Star Wars backpacks for Disneyland. Jess had gone through so much planning for her, just to make her happy. She also thinks back on everything Jess had done for her this past year, she has done so much. She just had her hand over her mouth, in awe of this sweet, perfect girl in front of her that wants to give her the world. 

 

"Rey?" Jess asked nervously, "do you like it?"

 

Rey looked up at Jess, who was smiling the shyest smile Rey had ever seen, and she was gone. There was nothing else she could do. 

 

So she kissed Jess. 

 

And all Rey felt for the two seconds she pressed her lips to the other girl's was how frozen Jess was.  _Oh fuck, oh nononono, fuck!_

 

So Rey ran, not listening or turning back when she heard Jess call after her. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S.M.U.T. and another long ass chapter.

That was the last thing Jess ever expected, was for Rey to kiss her, and she was too shocked at the initial press of lips to kiss back before Rey pulled back, pure fear in her eyes, and ran away. 

 

_Well shit, that didn't work. Guess the mistletoe wasn’t necessary then either._

 

Jess followed Rey to her room where the door had just slammed, but Rey didn't answer any of her knocks. She decided to give the girl some time to herself and moved back into the main room to try and shoo out the remaining guests. 

 

Just shaking her head when Finn and Poe asked what happened, she closed the front door behind them and locked it, leaning against the dark wood, and contemplating what to do. 

 

Jess took a quick shower and got into her pajamas before going back to Rey's door. 

 

"Rey, can I please come in?" Jess pleaded softly. She heard a grunt and took that as a yes, so she took the deepest breath of her life, and opened the door. 

 

Jess laughed when she saw that Rey had grabbed every blanket she owns and brought them onto the bed, creating a mountain that she was probably huddled under. 

 

"Should I get the excavation team to find you?" Jess asked with a laugh as she started to pull away the blankets until she saw a mess of brown hair,  _bingo_. 

 

She pushed away most of the covers she could to see Rey lying on her stomach, face smashed into her pillow, not looking up at Jess. Before Jess could even say anything, Rey was shaking her head. 

 

"Why did you run away from me?" Jess asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. 

 

Rey takes a shuttered breath, and mumbles, "I am so sorry, Jess. I didn't…I wouldn't…" 

 

"I'm not sorry," and that's what finally gets Rey to stop shaking her head. 

 

"What?"

 

"I'm not sorry about it, Rey. Disappointed, yes, but not sorry," Jess replied, trying to get this girl to see reason. "Flip over, please."

 

Rey takes the biggest breath she thinks she's ever taken, flips over, and sits up on the bed. She brings her knees up to her chest and stares at her feet so she doesn't have to look directly at Jess. 

 

"You didn't even give me a chance, Rey, and then you ran away," Jess says. At that, Rey finally looks over at Jess, confused. Jess notices that Rey's eyes are puffy from crying. _Oh my girl_. 

 

"You just took me by surprise, and I didn't have time to kiss you back senselessly before you ran off," Jess finally argues. Doesn't Rey get it?

 

"You're joking?" Rey says in astonishment. Jess wants to kiss her? Why aren't they doing that then?

 

"Not joking," Jess says with a shake of her head, "I've wanted to since you walked into the studio that first day. It's kind of been agony, really."

 

This isn't Rey's life right now, she can't believe this is happening. Jess has been into her for that long? 

 

"I like you, a lot. Like a lot," Rey blurts out and then cringes,  _smooth, Walker._  

 

"I like you more than a lot," Jess replies with that damn smile and  _oh_. Rey can do this, she can totally do this. 

 

She can't do this. 

 

"I'm scared Jess," Rey says as she drops her head to her knees. Hey they were doing good, what happened?

 

"What is there to be scared about, Rey?" Jess asks, definitely confused now. 

 

Rey shrugs and wraps her arms around her legs, "I don't know how to do any of this. It's…you know why." 

 

Jess realizes what Rey means finally. She's afraid because she never had a proper relationship, and thus, no experience. Like that could ever matter to Jess. 

 

"Rey, look at me," Jess says in a soft voice and waits for Rey's head to lift and lock eyes onto her. "I will never hurt you or make you do anything you don't want to do, do you hear me? I want to be with you, no matter what. You set the pace for everything, do you want that?" 

 

Rey just nods. Yes, she wants Jess, only Jess. 

 

"Can we try the kissing again, then?" Rey finally asks. She needs to make up for earlier. 

 

"Hell yea," Jess says as she climbs more onto the bed. True to her word, she's letting Rey set the pace, so she's waits for the girl to reach for her before she does anything. 

 

Rey takes one of Jess's hands in her own and places the other on the girl's waist, leaning forward just far enough where Jess can close the distance. 

 

Resting her free hand on Rey's cheek, lips millimeters apart, Jess pauses and looks at Rey. They share the same air for a moment, then Jess closes the gap in a gentle kiss. And just, wow. 

 

It's slow and chaste, but it's amazing. Rey's lips are so soft and warm as they glide along Jess's. Jess tilts her head and parts her mouth just a little, which Rey mirrors as she deepens the kiss. 

 

Rey pulls back first only to catch her breath, and then dives back in. She takes Jess by surprise when she flicks her tongue into Jess's parted lips before nibbling on her bottom lip. 

 

"Rey," Jess moans breathlessly, and that sets Rey on fire. Tightening her grasp on Jess's waist and pulling, Rey kisses the corner of Jess's mouth, trailing down to her jaw and neck. 

 

Jess's breath hitches when Rey sucks right below her ear and Rey grins,  _gotcha_. Letting go of Jess's hand in favor of placing it on the small of the girl's back, Rey let's her mouth wander, being lead by the noises Jess made. 

 

After spending ample time with her tongue and teeth working on the girl's collar bone, Rey makes her way back up to claim Jess's lips again. 

 

Jess took control when she slipped both her hands into Rey's hair, tilting her head and flicked her tongue into Rey's mouth, which earned a gasping moan from the girl. 

 

Rey was feeling bold, body heating up a way she's never felt before as Jess begins to drag her mouth down to her collarbone, so she dropped her hands to Jess's ass and pulled the girl onto her lap. 

 

"Rey!" Jess gasped, pulling away from the girl, panting. "We don't have to move that fast." 

 

"And what if I want to?" Rey asked, completely serious, slipping both hands under Jess's shirt and drawing circles on her back. 

 

Jess shivered and closed her eyes, using all her strength not to roll her hips. She opened her eyes and searched Rey's face for any hesitation, "are you sure?"

 

"More than sure," Rey says with a nod, moving her hands over Jess's bare stomach, feeling her muscles clench over each inch, and skirting over the hem of her pants. Rey's nervous, of course, but it's Jess, nothing could be bad. 

 

Jess levels Rey with a look of pure adoration, eyes flitting over her whole face, taking in this moment. Placing both hands on either side of Rey's face, Jess nods and leans in. "Ok," she whispers as she slots her lips against Rey's. 

 

Their lips move together slow and sweet, fast a passionate, all in attempt to learn every curve. It's Jess who begins to let her mouth wander back down Rey's neck once more, finding purchase on a pulse point and sucking hard. 

 

Rey can't contain herself anymore and arches up into Jess and pulls her tighter into her hips. Jess gasps and responds by grinding down, stopping her work on Rey's neck to just rock against one another. 

 

Rey leans back and grabs the bottom of Jess's shirt and looks at her in question. Jess, panting, nods and Rey removes the shirt in one swift move, loving the way Jess's hair goes crazy. 

 

"You are so beautiful, Jessika," Rey says in awe, eyes trailing over the partial nudity presented before her. Ghosting her hands up and down Jess's sides, Rey just takes her time watching Jess close her eyes, chest heaving, trying to collect herself. Rey smiles, slides a hand to the small of Jess's back, starts sliding the other hand up Jess's stomach, and dives in to caress one of the girl's nipples with her tongue. 

 

"Fuck, Rey," Jess says as she throws her head back and rocking her hips down again trying to find release for her sudden aching need. 

 

Rey grinds up into Jess as her fingers roll one nipple, tongue sucking hard at the other, and hand on Jess's back pulling the girl down into her hips. Jess can't find any words, pleasure too strong to be able to get anything out but a litany of "oh shit, Rey," which only pushes Rey to suck, grind, and pull harder until Jess makes a strangled moan and shudders, legs and arms clenching around Rey, first orgasm rolling through her like a tsunami. 

 

Before she can say anything, Rey flips her onto her back, earning a surprised squeak, and climbs above her, nothing touching but one of Rey's thighs between her own. 

 

"Hi," Rey says, eyes bright and a dimply grin plastered on her face, "you ok?" 

 

Jess laughs, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Is she kidding? "I'm so more than ok," Jess finally replies, dark and wanting eyes locking onto Rey's. 

 

"Good," Rey replies as she leans back on her knees, butt resting on her heels as she runs her hands down Jess's tight stomach, stopping to grab the hem of Jess's sweatpants, eyes never leaving the girl on her back. She doesn't even need to ask if it's ok, Jess is already lifting her hips to allow Rey to pull them off easily. 

 

Rey takes Jess's ankle and lifts her leg to begin her kissing decent. "You are the greatest person I have ever met," Rey says, sloppy kisses punctuating each word. "I can't tell you how long I've wanted this. Wanted you, Jess," reaching a dangerously sensitive spot on Jess's inner thigh, Rey places that leg down and begins at the ankle of the other leg. "I want to hear you, Jess. I want to make you feel good." Finally reaching her desired destination, Rey nuzzles at Jess's panty-covered mound, inhaling the exquisite scent of Jess's arousal which sends shockwaves through her own body.  "Do you want me to, Jess?" Rey asks, voice sweet as she runs a finger over the wet spot in Jess's underwear. 

 

"Oh, fuck, Rey," Jess says as she bucks into Rey's fingers, "yes, anything. Anything you want." 

 

Rey lifts a little to nibble at the soft flesh of Jess's hips as she pulls down Jess's soaked panties. After pulling them off and discarding them somewhere off the bed, Rey climbs back on top of Jess and kisses her, passion rising at the feel of her naked body. 

 

Rey feels Jess arc up against her again. She trails her fingers down Jess's neck, scraping over a nipple which earns a gasp, slips down her rippling stomach, then stops right above Jess's mound. She smiles wickedly when Jess groans at the cease of motion, then follows the trail her fingers left with hot, open kisses, relishing in the way Jess's breath hitches with every kiss. 

 

Reaching where her fingers lay, Rey nips and sucks at Jess's stomach while her fingers finally drop down through the wet folds she's longed to feel. 

 

"Oh, god, Rey," Jess moans, hands fisting onto the bars of Rey's headboard, hips raising up with each pass over her wet lips. 

 

"I know," Rey replies in a husky voice, dropping down suddenly and licking a hot strip where her fingers just passed. Rey moans, "you taste so good, Jess," and she repeats the action, relishing in the shivers she feels pulse through Jess. 

 

Rey stops her ministrations with her tongue to gaze up at Jess in wonder and she pushes her middle finger into the girl. 

 

"Oh, oh my god!" Jess groans as she pushes her hips down, chasing the feeling of Rey's finger. 

 

"Good?" Rey asks, making sure she's doing things right. 

 

"Good! Very good, Rey!" Jess nearly yells.  _Well ok then,_  Rey thinks as she begins to thrust her finger into Jess, twisting every so often for good measure. 

 

Rey goes back in and flicks her tongue around Jess's clit while she adds another finger to the one thrusting deep within this goddess beneath her. 

 

Rey twists and crooks her fingers in a 'come here' motion, sucks hard on that sweet bundle of nerves, and Jess is gone, coming so hard she screams, the force of it rippling through her so violently she nearly blacks out. 

 

Rey laps up the delicious release, planting soft, open kisses and caresses to the still sensitive clit, leaving her fingers inside Jess's still pulsating body. 

 

"You are absolutely incredible," Rey says as she drags her mouth lazily across Jess's thighs, looking up through her lashes to watch how hard Jess is breathing and how her ab muscles are still clenching with aftershocks. 

 

Jess lifts herself onto her elbows and looks down at Rey with a sweaty, beautiful, panting face. "I'm pretty sure I should be saying that to you," Jess says, noting that Rey hasn't removed her fingers from within her and is staying between her legs.  _She's trying to kill me_. "Rey, how did you…what…that was the best…" Jess can't even finish, she can't even describe what just happened. Well, she  _knows_  what just happened. 

 

She just had literally the best orgasm in her life, given to her by this perfect girl between her legs. This girl who is extremely inexperienced in the world of all things sex. This girl, who is grinning very mischievously at her right now, and  _oh_. 

 

Rey begins slowly, disgustingly slowly, to pull her fingers out and push back in, twisting and crooking at random moments that builds the heat in Jess's core quicker than expected. 

 

Never breaking eye contact, Rey explains devilishly. "Well you see,"  _twist_ , "I didn't know much about sex,"  _twist_ , "so I did some research." Rubbing up and hitting that spot that makes Jess cry out, Rey continues. "Turns out the library has some very,"  _twist_ , "very,"  _twist_ , "informative books." 

 

Rey's pupils are so blown, she's never been so turned on before, never felt this much love and desire, and all she wants to do is make Jess scream in pleasure the way she had for the rest of her life. "Did my homework pay off?" Rey asks sweetly, wanting an affirmative before continuing on. 

 

"Yes, A+ work. Full marks, best student ever," Jess huffs out. 

 

Rey doesn't waste time leaning back in to lazily suckle while rubbing circles on  _that_  spot inside Jess. She takes her time this round, changing speeds and directions of her fingers and tongue, moaning at the perfection that is this girl who has given her so much. 

 

This time around Jess stays on her elbows, entranced by every movement Rey makes that brings her closer and closer to coming apart completely. 

 

"Rey, oh Rey,  _please_ ," Jess finally moans out, needing something, anything. 

 

Rey finally latches onto Jess clit, and goes for the kill, wringing out another earth shattering orgasm from Jess in seconds. She pulls her fingers out gently once Jess's aftershocks settle down, locks eyes with the girl beneath her, and sticks the two fingers in her mouth. 

 

"Oh fuck," Jess says huskily, where does this girl learn this stuff?

 

_Books, apparently. Books!_

 

Jess can't help but start laughing, which earns a curious gaze from Rey, who is crawling back up and straddling her thighs. Jess doesn't know what she did to deserve this amazing girl on top of her. 

 

"That was fun," Rey says with an excited smile, hands lightly scratching down Jess's sides. 

 

"That was  _way_  more than just fun, Rey," Jess says as she starts to sit up, hands slipping under Rey's shirt. She claims Rey's lips in a gentle kiss, shivering at the hint of her own taste in Rey's mouth, then moves on for a while until latching into Rey's ear and nibbling. "Those were the best orgasms of my life," she whispers huskily, dropping down to lick into Rey's collar bone and suck. 

 

Rey shudders as Jess's hands ghost over her stomach, placing her own hands onto Jess's naked thighs behind her. That's when Rey realized how overdressed she is for this little party the two girls are having, and Jess comes to that conclusion at the same time. 

 

Jess doesn't even need to ask. Once she grabs at the bottom of Rey's shirt, the girl is lifting her arms and waiting, so Jess wastes no time. 

 

Jess's hands skim over the bare flesh, taking in every perfect inch of Rey. She never thought she would ever be here, Rey half naked, sitting in her lap, but here she is, and she's suddenly overcome with that sense of 'more' she once explained to Rey. This was more than just sex to her, Rey was worth more, Rey  _was_   _more_. 

 

"Rey, I," Jess began, but she choked on her words, not even truly knowing what she wants to say in this moment. 

 

"Are you ok?" Rey asks warily seeing nearly tears in Jess's eyes. "We can stop."

 

"No no no," Jess says as she wraps her arms around Rey's bare waist and pulls her close, "I just…you're so beautiful and perfect Rey, I just want to make you happy."

 

Rey laughs and smiles that dimply smile, "Jess you make me happier than anyone, alright?"

 

Jess sniffles and nods,  _keep it together, Pava, you've got a beautiful girl on your lap that just made you see stars; give her the same._

 

So Jess starts at Rey's jaw, licking and nibbling and dragging her lips down down down to suck on that already sensitive collarbone, which makes Rey throw her head back and roll her hips. 

 

"Jess," Rey says breathlessly as Jess runs her fingers under the waistline of Rey's pajamas, moving to palm her over her panties. 

 

"God, Rey, you're so wet," Jess says and latches onto a nipple, fingers beginning a torturously slow cyclonic motion around Rey's clit. Rey makes a small, sweet, strangled noise and rolls her hips harder, chasing Jess's fingers, desperate to quench the fire raging within her. 

 

Grinding faster and harder against her fingers, Jess can tell Rey is getting close. She doesn't want to stop her work on that delicious nipple, but she needs to see Rey when she comes, so she gives one last sucking nibble and pulls back as she rubs harder. 

 

Rey quietly whines at the loss of heat to her nipple, but can't help to be bothered by it as her first orgasm rips through her, eyes shutting tight and mouth in an 'O' shape. 

 

"Oh fuck, Jessika," Rey gasps as she drops her head into the crook of Jess's neck, body still shaking and Jess swirling lazy circles around her overly stimulated bundle of nerves. 

 

"Good?" Jess asks as she moves her hands from Rey's front to her ass, giving it a tight squeeze, which earns a shuddering buck from the girl above her. 

 

"So good," Rey says breathlessly, chest heaving. 

 

"Good. Do you trust me?"

 

Rey finally leans back to lock eyes with Jess, curious. Books could only show you so much, but Jess? Jess had experience in this. Rey shivered at the thought of what Jess could do to her. 

 

"Yes," she finally says with a husky voice and a nod. 

 

"That's my girl," Jess says with a true smile, damn straight Rey's her girl. Rey's her girl and she's going to make her girl feel so good. "Now I want you to take off the rest of your clothes and come back right here," Jess indicates to her lap, "but I want you to stay up on your knees. Can you do that for me?"

 

Yes, Rey will do anything for Jess. Especially when Jess is running soft hands like that all over her body mindlessly. Throat suddenly too dry to say anything, Rey just nods and hops off the bed to shimmy out of her pajamas and panties, then crawls back onto the bed, kneeling over Jess's lap like she was told. 

 

"I could watch you do that over and over again," Jess says as she looks up at Rey. She begins to run her hands, sometimes with nails, over Rey's calves and thighs, relishing in the soft skin of the kneeling girl. Jess punctuates every few words with either a kiss, suck, or bite to Rey's stomach. "Taking off your clothes, showing me your beautiful body, crawling back up here. Your ass, Rey, god I love your ass. Watching it sway like that, I just want to bite it," Jess finishes as she dips her tongue into Rey's belly button and squeezes that curvaceous ass. 

 

"J-Jess," Rey gasps and braces her hands on Jess's shoulders. She's momentarily confused when she feel Jess start to lay down and scoot further down in between Rey's legs until all Rey can see is Jess's face. 

 

Jess wraps her arms up behind Rey's hips and rests her hands on her stomach. Wanting nothing more than to bury herself into Rey, she does just that. She starts out slow, trailing sucking kisses inside one thigh before the other, then nips at where her lips had just crossed. She feels Rey shiver as she reaches dangerously high on the girl's thigh, and goes in for the kill. With no preamble or warning, Jess flicks a few quick circles around Rey's clit before sucking hard. 

 

"Oh, fuck, Jess!" Rey yells as her body bucks forward, hands flying from where they were on Jess's forearms to grab hold of the headboard. Jess just holds her still with her hands now gripping Rey's waist and pulling her down, moaning at how heavenly Rey and all of this is. 

 

Rey feels like she's going supernova, all of her senses are on fire and gravity is pulling them all down to where Jess is worshipping her with her tongue. Dipping it deep inside Rey, only then to lick up around and circle that delicious bundle of nerves. 

 

Jess begins to slide her hands up to cup Rey's breasts, squeezing and rolling her nipples between two fingers, never ceasing her mouth work. Dipping once more inside, Jess slithered her tongue back up to Rey's clit, closed her lips around it, and sucked hard. 

 

Rey came with the sweetest cry Jess had ever heard, body heaving and panting, Rey herself lost somewhere in oblivion as Jess gently licked her through her orgasm. Before Rey could form words Jess was already slithering out behind her and sitting back on her heels, hands rubbing up and down Rey's back to soothe the shuddering girl. 

 

"Jessika," Rey says breathlessly, "that was…" 

 

"I know," Jess whispers into Rey's ear as she rises up to rest her body flush against the other girl. "Keep your hands there," she says with an unseen nod towards Rey's hands on the headboard. 

 

Jess gently sweeps Rey's hair over one shoulder as she softly, oh so softly presses her lips to the base of the girl's neck, sliding them all over the tops of her shoulders before descending in the same fashion. 

 

"Rey," Jess whispers, voice soaked in love and lust, "you taste so good, Rey. Better than I ever could have imagined. There's so many things I want to do to you. I've wanted to do them for so long. You're the only one I want, Rey." Jess starts her way back up Rey's back wordlessly, kissing harder each time until she reaches the top again. Leaning forward she places a finger on Rey's chin to turn the girl to her before doing what she wants. 

 

"What do you want, Rey?" Jess asks, eyes searching for any hesitance. 

 

Rey levels her with the softest face even though it's blown with desire. "You, only you, Jess." 

 

Jess crashes their lips together in a blistering kiss before trailing back to Rey's neck, one hand sliding down the girl's back and one down the front. The hand sliding down Rey's heaving stomach reaches its destination first, sliding easily through the girl's folds that are soaked from her previous orgasms. Jess's hand toys with the girl's folds before starting a gentle caress on her clit. The hand on Rey's back dips lower to fondle that delicious ass, palming each check equally, before reaching under and slowly sliding a finger into the girl's wet heat. 

 

Rey moans softly, letting all her senses tear her apart under Jess's attention. She begins to rock her hips in tandem with the fingers out and inside her, feeling the supernova building again. 

 

"Another," Rey gasps, hips rocking harder at the faster thrusts of Jess's finger, then cries out as she gets her wish. 

 

"Oh, Rey, you feel so good," Jess says huskily into Rey's neck, her hips grinding leisurely onto Rey's thigh that's between her own. "I could do this all day, watch you come apart, seeing how utterly wrecked you are, knowing how good I'm making you feel."

 

"Fuck, Jess, so good. So, so good," Rey whines, pushing harder against Jess's fingers. Her hold on the headboard being the only thing keeping her up as her legs have gone numb in pleasure. 

 

Jess thrusts deeper and harder into Rey while keeping a relentless pace on the girl's clit. Jess herself so exhausted from the day is nearly completely drapes across the girl's back, hips grinding with the flutters of her erratic heartbeat, breath hot against Rey's neck. She feels Rey begin to breath in short gasps, body tensing, and rises a little to suck that sweet spot in the girl's collarbone. Rey cries even louder than last time, body collapsing from the combination of her intense orgasm and utter exhaustion from the day. 

 

Jess lies down beside the panting girl, resting up on her elbow and running her hand along Rey's body soothingly. Rey comes back to the world eventually and flips over onto her back, eyes closed and panting. Jess takes her time in completely looking at Rey, this beautiful, perfect girl next to her who is deliciously naked and deliciously sated. She takes in every freckle, every scar, every curve, committing it all to memory along with the fact that today had been the best day of her life. Making Rey so happy, surprising her all throughout the day, giving her what she wanted in bed, she wants this forever. 

 

When she finds her way back up to Rey's serene face, she finds that the girl is staring at her with that same soft expression as earlier, this time with a sweet smile. They just gaze at each other for a while, silently, smiles on both of their faces growing bigger until Rey laughs that delicious, tinkling laugh and tugs Jess on top of her. She just wraps her arms around Jess's waist, only wanting the girl close, too exhausted to try anything more. 

 

Arms bracketing Rey's shoulders and head, Jess leans down and rests her forehead on Rey's, hoping that she's not crushing her since she's too weak to try and hold herself up. The girls simply lie there, soaking in the easy closeness they've wanted for so long, being so completely comfortable together. 

 

It was Rey who pressed their open, slightly panting mouths together once more, wanting to taste that sweet mouth she's finally come to know only so recently. It's slow and sweet, just the push and pull of trembling lips, sometimes with a caress of tongue, until Rey's desire begins to, surprisingly, build once more. By the way Jess is lying full bodied on top of her, Rey thinks she's probably just as tired as she is, but Jess is starting to kiss her harder so she might be inclined for one more. Rey tightens her embrace on the girl and lazily grinds her hips up, smirking when she receives a moan. 

 

Jess responds in kind, rocking down into Rey's gentle and steady pace. They're in no rush at all, their needs currently only a simmer compared to before, but no less demanding. Slowly, oh so slowly do they rock. Neither of them speak, too caught up in the unexpected intimacy of this position, nearly their whole bodies touching as they rock each other into the sweet abyss of ecstasy. They don't know it now, or they might have an idea, but this is how, even years and years from now, they will end nearly every time they make love. The fire of each other's sweat-slicked bodies melding them together as they pant the same air, eyes fluttering open and closed at the all-consuming power of their love and desire. 

 

Jess feels Rey's arms tighten around her, legs starting to stiffen, and quickens her pace, knowing their both so close. It takes a few more thrusts and they both climax together, Rey making that same sweet, choked moan as she did earlier and Jess just squeaked, not able to find more in herself. Once her limbs unfurl from their rigid state, she slumps completely onto Rey, full-body fatigue currently too great to try and move any further than that sweet curve of sweaty neck. 

 

Rey doesn't mind at all, loving the feel of Jess's heavy breathing, knowing that they accomplished that together. She lazily draws circles up and down the girl's back, blissed out and completely content to lay in this moment until she dies. After some time she feels Jess try to move, so she rolls slightly so that they are laying on their sides, still wrapped in each other. 

 

They don't get up immediately, though they know they need to, deciding rather to nap for a while before waking up to the freezing cold of December they couldn't notice when sharing their heat of passion. Groaning, they both rise to find their discarded clothing from earlier, dress each other, and tumble then back into bed with most of the blankets they scooped up. Jess pulls Rey to the crook of her neck, entangles herself between all of the girl's limbs, and they both fall into deep, heavenly sleep without another word. 


	14. Chapter 14

The girls woke up from their blissful sleep to a pounding on their front door. Jumping out of bed first, Jess looked over at the equally confused, equally as sleepy Rey before making her way out of the room. Followed closely by Rey, who had very begrudgingly hopped out of bed to follow her, Jess lead the way out to the foyer. 

 

They were almost at the door when they heard Poe and Finn together laughing, singing both her's and Rey's names. Swinging the door open with more force than necessary, her eyes shot daggers at the boys with enough force to make them momentarily wince. 

 

"What the actual fuck, Dameron?" Jess says fiercely. Jess had dreamt of waking up to the beautiful girl who is now scowling behind her, maybe having some sweet, slow morning sex before getting ready for their lazy day. They had the rest of this week off so she had planned on being locked in the apartment for as long as she could with the girl.  

 

"Good morning, you two!" Poe lilted as he and Finn pushed their way into the apartment, kissing both girls on their foreheads and having to duck each time from the snacks they were to receive. "Have a good sleep, I hope?" 

 

"He actually means did you guys finally fuck," Finn says with a bored air, though his eyes betray him with their look of worry at maybe outing the feelings the girl's have for each other. 

 

"We're not telling you anything, not when you wake us up like that," Rey says as she rubs her eyes and starts making her way to the kitchen for some coffee and Cake. 

 

"Oh but that tells us everything, you see," says Poe as he looks over to Finn. "You win, buddy. Three months nearly to the day," he says with a grimace. Finn is always right, the damn Brit. 

 

"You two had a bet going, really?" Rey asks as she plates two slices of Cake, one for her and one for Jess. 

 

"Yup. I had my money on it happening in Italy, though," Poe says with a frown. They hadn't bet on anything but bragging rights, and Poe loves his bragging rights. He can't be sad to lose, though, not when his girls are happy. 

 

"I knew you two were goners when I was here in May," Finn says nodding. "But I also knew you guys were idiots and wouldn't say anything to each other."

 

"You knew?" Rey asks incredulously, putting on her perfect death stare. Finn knew that Jess wanted her and didn't say anything? What happened to being best friends? "Alright, that's it you two, out!" Rey says as she starts to shoo out the boys. 

 

"What about our Cake?" Poe and Finn argue together. They didn't get any last night and it looked amazing right now. 

 

"No. None for you and your treasonous tendencies," Rey says as she finally pushes them out the door, closing it loudly behind her and muttering something about 'could have been doing this sooner' and 'little shits being assholes and knowing.'

 

"I'm not upset about that," Jess says when Rey walks back into the kitchen. Rey cocks her head a little, not realizing that Jess had heard her mini ramble about the little shitheads that she just shoved out of their apartment. Jess just shrugs as she hops up to sit on the counter. 

 

"About neither of them telling us how into each other we are, even though they've known the whole time," Jess says with sincerity. "I'm actually kind of glad they didn't."

 

"Why?" Rey asks, really confused now. Did Jess not want this sooner? What did Jess want at all? "We could have…" she trails off as Jess starts shaking her head. 

 

"Rey, its given us so much time to get as close as we are," Jess says, silencing Rey with her explanation. "I've wanted you since the moment I saw you walk into the studio. That had only been infatuation, lust. Absolutely nothing compared to now." Jess hops off the counter and walks over to grasp one of Rey's hands, needing to have some sort of contact with the girl. 

 

"Getting to know each other, without any expectations of anything but friendship, has turned out to be the best thing I've done," Jess continues as she starts to fidget. She's going to lay everything out on the line right now and she's pretty damn nervous about whether Rey will reciprocate or not. 

 

"Rey, I'm pretty sure I'm madly in love with you," Jess says with no preamble, heart beat speeding up as she watches a smile break onto Rey's face.  _Yes_. "And while I know I would have come to love you even if we started this earlier, I'm so grateful that I came to love you first." Laying a hand on Rey's cheek, staring into her eyes, she smiled that damn smile. Jess was about to continue on but Rey tugged her into a teetering hug, squeezing all the breath out of her in one big 'oof.'

 

"Oh Jess," Rey begins, voice shakey, "I'm so in love with you. I didn't even know it was possible to love someone how I love you." Jess could hear Rey sniffling and she started to laugh. 

 

"Oh, my girl" Jess croons, rubbing circles onto the girl's back. Jess has loved before, maybe not as deeply as she loves Rey now, but she has. She's had an easy life, knowing who she is and never really having trouble with anything. Rey though? Rey has known nothing but pain and loneliness, and Jess knows that this is the first time Rey has been treated the way she should be. To be loved so wholly, to have someone want nothing but the best for her, whether it's Jess who gives it to her or not. Jess is going to give her the world. 

 

It takes a few minutes, but Rey finally huffs out a watery laugh and leans back far enough to wipe her eyes. "You alright over there?" Jess asks with a smile. 

 

"Yea, I'm good," Rey replies with a nod. "Just happy." 

 

"Me too," Jess replies, letting go of Rey to get in her big yawning stretch she missed this morning due to their unexpected guests this morning. Reaching up though, she winces. "Ow," she says and drops her arms, shaking out her other limbs and suddenly feeling how sore she is all over.  _Haven't had this in a while_ , she thinks. 

 

"You ok?" Rey asks this time. 

 

"Mhmm, just sore," Jess replies as she helplessly rubs her thighs. She watches as Rey looks down at her body and smiles. 

 

"Me too," Rey says with a smirk. Yea they're a bit sore from yesterday's ice skating and sledding, but they can feel the certain muscles that are sore from their delicious entanglement last night. 

 

"So I thought you ought to know that last night was literally the most amazing and intense sex I have  _ever_  had," Jess says as she not so casually saunters back over to her tea across the kitchen, knowing Rey's eyes gaze over as she walks with a little more sway than usual. 

 

"I'm inclined to agree," Rey says huskily. Mmm this is headed right where she wants it. 

 

"I was thinking about your…studies, and I think I should send a fruit basket to whomever the author was," Jess says, smiling into her teacup. 

 

Rey stretches, arms folding on top of her head, exposing a sliver of her soft stomach, making Jess's breath hitch. "You know what I was thinking?" She says as she drops her arms and slinks over to Jess, coming up close enough so their lips are nearly touching. 

 

"Something tells me that I wish I could," Jess says breathlessly as Rey slides her hands under her shirt. 

 

"I was thinking that we should compare notes," Rey whispers as she runs her hands just under Jess's breasts, smiling when she feels Jess start to breath harder. 

 

"I like the sound of that," Jess says and then closes the distance to capture those soft lips with her own, starting to walk Rey backwards towards her room. 

 

*

 

From: Jessika 'Pain in the Ass' Pava

[Come help clean up. We have dinner and Cake.]

 

From: Poe 'Hot Damn' Dameron

[Aww, Jess, our first double date!]

 

From: Jessika 'Pain in the Ass' Pava

[Do you want Cake or not, because Rey and I have worked up an appetite and might not want to share if you're being sassy.]

 

From: Poe 'Hot Damn' Dameron

[We're already on our way.]

 

After spending most of the rest of the morning alternating pleasuring each other, ending again in that most intimate entanglement, the girl's showered together and got dressed. Jess had informed Rey that Finn would only be here two more days, and though Rey would like to stay in bed all weekend with the girl, she barely gets to see her best friend. 

 

The little shits in question showed up an hour later with a bottle of wine that has a tag that says 'congrats on the sex.' 

 

"You two are insufferable," Rey says as she takes the bottle and tries to find a bottle opener. 

 

"Wait," Finn says before Rey can open the wine, "let's have some of this first." Somehow he pulls out a bottle of champagne of the bag that had carried the wine. 

 

"We don't need celebratory sex champagne, Finn," Jess says in exasperation. 

 

"I think we do," Finn says with a wicked grin. 

 

The girls sighed, why argue when there's champagne. 

 

The four of them spent the day lying around, slowly cleaning up from the previous day's festivities, and stopping sometimes to snuggle with hot chocolate and Netflix. 

 

The sun had long set, both champagne and wine and a bit more spirits finished, before the two boys headed out and left the girl's to themselves. They had hardly any time to talk about their relationship from last nights kiss up until right now, so Jess decided it was time to get it over with. 

 

"So I think we should talk," she started seriously, walking over to sit next to Rey on the couch. 

 

"You're already breaking up with me?" Rey says with a smirk, knowing with all the 'I love you's' Jess had chanted this morning with Rey's finger deep inside her that that was anything but the case. 

 

"Ok so we're girlfriends then?" Jess asks with a happy sigh. With an enthusiastic nod from Rey, she continues on. "Sleeping arrangements then, do you want to sleep in different rooms or should we pick a room and share it?"

 

Well shit, Rey hadn't actually thought of that. She always slept more soundly when she was in the same bed as Jess, even before last night. From that very first night in her old apartment, after Ben showed up and Jess stayed, Rey had wanted Jess with her just to be near her. Now they were so much more than before, and she didn't know if she was moving too fast to want to share a room completely now, but that's what she wanted. And she would never lie to Jess. 

 

"I know it might be a little fast, since we just solidified the girlfriend thing," Rey starts with a shy shrug, smiling widely at knowing that  _Jessika fucking Pava_  is her girlfriend. "But I love sleeping with you, both sexually"  _wink_  "and book definition. So what do you think?"

 

"I was thinking the same thing. Let's go buy a new bed tomorrow."

 

"There's nothing wrong with either of our beds, though?" Rey offers, confused at the flippancy of the suggestion. They'll obviously stick to Jess's room since it's the master, but Jess had a wonderful bed. 

 

"I know that, but I like the idea of our first thing we buy together being a bed," she says with a dreamy smile. "It just seems…domestic. We can buy an even bigger bed and just donate mine."

 

"I like the sound of that too," Rey says with a sweet smile. Sweet turns to mischievous when she comes up with an idea. Standing up and stretching, knowing that her sweatpants are hanging low and that her jacket will ride up, giving Jess a teasing glance of her midriff, she looks back to Jess and smirks. Jess's eyes have gone dark, rising from where they were stationed on Rey's bare stomach, they latch back into Rey's equally dark, desire blown eyes. "Since we haven't gotten there yet, why don't we christen your bed before we get rid of it?" 

 

Jess stands, swoops down suddenly and throws Rey over her shoulder, earning a laughing squeak, and marches to her room. 

 

"I really like the way you think, Walker."

 

And oh boy did they christen that bed. A lot. 

 

"I'll almost be sad to see this bed go," Rey panted, having just slid off an equally panting Jess. 

 

"We could keep it in storage," Jess replied with a laugh, "maybe move into a 3-bedroom and play Goldilocks with all the beds each night."

 

"A 3-bedroom in New York just to have sex place options? Seems frivolous."

 

"Worth it," Jess argues as she nuzzles into Rey's sweaty neck. Weird how love let's you do gross things like this and enjoy it. 

 

"You're not wrong, but it's not gonna happen," Rey laughs out. Yea, they both don't really have to worry about money at all, acting in such a profitable movie together, but still. Rey is practical, and that money could be spent elsewhere. Like an engagement ring, vacation home, adoption stuff.  _Woah, Walker, calm down you two just became girlfriends._

 

"Party pooper," Jess huffs out as she pushes away from Rey and climbs out of bed. "I think there's some wine in the cupboard. Want to take a bath and get drunk?"

 

"I really like the way you think, Pava."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now folks. I'm probably going to turn this into a collection, though, if you all enjoy it, so let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> Rey's December birthday works better for the overall plot, trust me. And it's also my birthday so I may just be bias as fuck.


End file.
